• January 13, 2006: Headlines: Figures: COS - Malawi: Diplomacy: National Security: Nuclear Energy: COS - India: Express India: Blackwill says failure to implement the the Indo-US civilian nuclear energy accord would be "very damaging" to Washington's vital interests  Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 9:12 am [1]

Robert Blackwill says if the US Congress fails to ratify the civilian nuclear deal, it could cause a "serious setback perhaps for decades" to the US-India bilateral relations



''The Americans are preparing to introduce legislation while the Indians are working hard on a credible and transparent plan for the separation of civilian and military nuclear facilities and my impression is that the two actions would be completed in close proximity,'' Mr Blackwill said in his address to the US-India Business Council here yesterday. Robert Blackwill served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi, Ambasssador to India, and as a Deputy National Security Advisor to Condoleezza Rice.

Robert Blackwill says if the US Congress fails to ratify the civilian nuclear deal, it could cause a "serious setback perhaps for decades" to the US-India bilateral relations

Blackwill confident United States-India nuke deal will be implemented soon
Washington: Robert Blackwill, former US envoy to India has said that if the US Congress fails to ratify the civilian nuclear deal, it could cause a ''serious setback perhaps for decades'' to the US-India bilateral relations.

He was emphasizing how crucial the deal was not only for America's vital interests but also for India's strategic partnership.

Mr Blackwill, however, expressed his confidence that the US-India nuke deal will soon be successfully concluded with both sides fulfilling their part of the bargain.

''The Americans are preparing to introduce legislation while the Indians are working hard on a credible and transparent plan for the separation of civilian and military nuclear facilities and my impression is that the two actions would be completed in close proximity,'' Mr Blackwill said in his address to the US-India Business Council here yesterday.

Referring to criticism against the deal, Mr Blackwill, who is said to be the architect of the deal signed by President George W Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said one should not forget that it has been endorsed by none other than the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei.

''It is has the stamp of approval from the IAEA,'' he added.

He also made it clear that the deal will not in any way dilute or threaten the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) nor would the NPT be affected in a legal matter.

''US transfer of civilian technology to India will fortify NPT objectives, while advancing the United States’ economic and strategic interests,'' Mr Blackwill said.

''Under the agreement India has pledged to commit its civilian nuclear facilities to full IAEA safeguards and inspections, continue on nuclear weapons testing and agree to stricter export controls on nuclear technology. Thus this agreement would place India inside, rather than outside the NPT framework,'' he added.

Mr Blackwill, who served as US Ambassador to India during President Bush's first term and helped forge new strategic partnership between the two countries then listed a number of reasons on how the twocountries share important national interests.

''The first is the global war on terror. And my view is that India, which began to suffer the effects of Islamic ''jihadism'' long before September 11, more than a decade before, will be with us to the end as others fall away, because of their [India's] understanding of the threat, he said.

Preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction is therefore vitally important for both countries, he said.

''If Islamic terrorists had to discuss where they might detonate the nuclear weapon they had acquired, there would be a lively debate and probably the target would be either Washington, New Delhi, Mumbai or Tel Aviv,'' Mr Blackwill added.

He said China's growing power is a concern for India as well as the United States.

''On the rise of Chinese power: there are, in my opinion, no two [other] countries which share equally the challenge of trying to shape the rise of Chinese power. This is not containment. And it is not coarse and crude, but both the US and India will be enormously affected by what kind of China emerges over the next decade,'' Mr Blackwill noted.

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