August 7, 2008

By Michael Field 

A top American diplomat has revealed that New Zealand, among other nations, is targeted in a “major diplomatic offensive at all levels” over an Indian nuclear deal.

France has also joined the lobbying.

New Zealand sits on a key international nuclear body and with a small group of nations will later this month determine whether India can sign a much yearned for nuclear technology deal with the United States.

A spokesman for Prime Minister Helen Clark said “New Zealand has reservations” about the deal and will work with others at a crucial meeting of the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) on August 21.

When in Auckland a fortnight ago US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pushed for New Zealand support of the deal.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has invested his political future in a treaty with the US in which Washington will supply India with civilian nuclear fuel and technology. He narrow survived a confidence vote last month in push through the deal on his side. 

Last Friday the UN’s atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) approved an inspections agreement with India that is key to finalising the nuclear cooperation deal that critics say undermines non-proliferation efforts. At that meeting in Vienna New Zealand said it had reservations but did not spell them out, saying they would discuss them at the NSG, where, despite the name, New Zealand is a key member. 

Its 45 member states ban trade with states, like India, that have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

New Zealand’s main reservation is that until India signs the NPT it cannot have a nuclear deal. India terms the NPT a piece of “nuclear apartheid” designed to keep peaceful nuclear power from developing nations.

In a press briefing the US Ambassador to India, David Mulford, said Washington and Paris had launched a campaign with NSG member countries to secure a “clean exemption” from the NPT for India to enable it to undertake nuclear commerce with the international community. 

He said President George Bush was calling on NSG leaders over it and Rice had taken it up with other countries.

“The U.S. is very heavily engaged in a major diplomatic offensive at all levels,” he said. 

“We continue to move forward and are working very closely with the Government of India to coordinate this process. We are working out the language we want to submit to the NSG. One that is done, we will submit it to the NSG and hope it moves quickly in August. 

The French ambassador to India Jerome Bonnafont told reporters Paris was in close touch with countries like Ireland, Norway, Austria and New Zealand, trying to remove their misapprehensions about giving clean exemption to India. 

Japan looks likely to line up with New Zealand however with Tokyo saying that there was no change in its position that New Delhi must sign the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and the comprehensive test ban treaty (CTBT).

Copyright: Michael Field