N-bill at the Senate: First killer amendment introduced

Senator Jeff Bingaman, New Mexico Democrat, introduced the first of the 'killer amendments' to the enabling legislation to facilitate the US-India civilian nuclear agreement.

He said nuclear fuel should not be provided to India unless New Delhi commits to halt the development of fissile material.

"In 1974, India tested a nuclear weapon using the technology we had given them for peaceful purposes," Bingaman said.

Bingaman said his amendment was not meant to kill the bill, but to get India to acquiesce to pledges it has made to sign on to the Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.

He acknowledged that India has a good nonproliferation record, and said, "My quarrel is not with resuming nuclear cooperation with India, but with the details of the bill that provides India with an exception even though India does not accept full-scope International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards."

"India has consistently refused to agree to full IAEA safeguards," and complained that the bill -- S.3709 provides India with a waiver from full-scope safeguards.

"So the bill only asks that India gives IAEA a credible separation plan and it only applies IAEA safeguards to its civilian facilities."

Armed with charts, Bingaman said, "It is clear there is a substantial amount of their nuclear facilities they will not open up to IAEA safeguards."

He asserted that, "Partial safeguards and are not full-scope safeguards. Many of the facilities that raise the most proliferation concerns are placed beyond any international inspection or control."

Bingaman said that under the present legislation, India would be able to use the nuclear fuel supplied by the US and other countries for its civilian reactors and use its own fuel for its military related reactors used to nuclear weapons development.

He said, "Making such an exception for India will weaken our non-proliferation efforts and our credibility and make the world a more dangerous place."