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Our Bureau

New Delhi, Aug 14

The CPI(M) has expressed serious concerns regarding the independence of the country’s future foreign policy if the Government moves forward on the Indo-US nuclear co-operation agreement.

According to the party, the 123 Agreement would create a situation under which India’s foreign policy would be subject to an annual “good conduct certificate” from the US President and should not be operationalised.

In a statement issued by the party Polit Bureau here today, after the party General Secretary, Mr Prakash Karat, had a meeting with the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, and the Foreign Minister, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, on the issue, the CPI(M) said: “It is difficult to agree with the Prime Minister that this agreement has no impact on our independent foreign policy, especially when US officials are busy selling the agreement to the US Congress on the strategic value of India aligning with the US as a consequence of the agreement.”

Pointing out that the US constitution makes annual certification an obligatory duty of the US President, based on which US foreign policy is determined, the CPI (M) said: “If a good conduct certificate is not forthcoming or if the US Congress does not accept the good conduct certificate given (to India) what would be the implication for the 123 Agreement.”

The Polit Bureau felt in such a case the US could terminate the Agreement with all its consequences for India’s civil nuclear energy programme.

Further, if the agreement is terminated, under the provisions contained in the Hyde Act, the US would not help India tide over the disruption (in nuclear fuel and technology supply) but would be obligated to work with the nuclear supplier group (NSG) countries to stop all supplies, the CPI(M) statement said.

It added that the Prime Minister himself has confirmed that full access to technology for nuclear fuel supply would not be available to India and the only concession obtained so far is “forward looking language”.

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