Tuesday, February 28 2006 11:14 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: In some plain-speaking ahead of President George W Bush's visit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday (Feb 27,2006) rejected the US demand for placing safeguards on India's indigenous Fast Breeder Programme and asserted that the autonomy of its nuclear programme will not be compromised.

For the first time, he came out with details of the country's proposed separation plan of nuclear facilities saying it entailed identifying in phases a number of thermal reactors as civilian facilities to be placed under IAEA safeguards, amounting to roughly 65 per cent of the total installed thermal capacity.

Making a statement in Parliament, Singh bluntly stated that the plan to separate civilian and military nuclear facilities will be consistent with the Nuclear Doctrine which envisions a credible minimum nuclear deterrent.

Observing that negotiations on the follow-up agreement on the nuclear deal reached last July was at a "delicate" stage, Singh said the decision on identifying which facilities were civilian would be made by India alone, not by anyone else.

Underpinning the importance of 'reciprocity' in the deal, Singh reminded Washington that 'certain assurances' given by it for supply of imported fuel for Tarapur reactors 'remain to be fulfilled'.

The Prime Minister said India has 'made it clear we cannot accept safeguards on our indigenous Fast Breeder Programme'.

Declaring the government's 'overarching commitment' to national security and related issue of autonomy of the nuclear programme, the Prime Minister emphatically stated that in deciding the contours of the separation plan, India has taken into account its 'current and future strategic needs and programme after careful deliberation of all relevant factors, consistent with our Nuclear Doctrine'.

This envisions a "Credible minimum nuclear deterrent to inflict unacceptable damage on an adversary indulging in a nuclear first-strike", he said.

Singh assured members that in preparing such a plan, "There has been no erosion of the integrity of our Nuclear Doctrine, either in terms of current or future capabilities".

His five-page statement comes ahead of Bush's three-day visit from March one and close on the heels of intense negotiations here to wrap up a follow-up agreement between Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns.

Asserting that the country's three-stage nuclear programme will 'not be undermined or hindered by external interference', he said "We will offer to place under safeguards only those facilities that can be identified as civilian without damaging our deterrence potential or restricting our R and D effort, or in any way compromising our autonomy of developing" the programme.

A strong demand by Left parties for an immediate discussion on the statement was turned down by Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal who asked them to give proper notice. Parliamentarty Affairs Minister P R Dasmunsi said the government was ready for a debate.

On concerns of members over information being shared with outsiders and not with people in the country, Singh assured that "nothing that could compromise our nuclear deterrent has been shared with anyone".

The Government, he said, would take no step that could 'circumscribe or cast a shadow'over its commitment to national security and autonomy of the nuclear programme.

Giving broad outlines for the first time on the proposed separation plan, Singh said it "Entails identifying in phases, a number of our thermal nuclear reactors as civilian facilities to be placed under IAEA safeguards, amounting to roughly 65 per cent of total installed thermal nuclear power capacity, by the end of the separation plan".

A list of some other Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) facilities may be added to the list of facilities within the civilian domain, he said while stressing that the separation plan will create a 'clearly defined civilian domain where IAEA safeguards apply'.

"On its part, India was committed not to divert any nuclear material intended for the civilian domain from desginated civilian use or for export to third countries without safeguards," he said.

Recalling his statement made in Parliament on July 29, last year, he said India was committed to separating its civilian and strategic programme but this was to be 'conditional upon, and reciprocal to the US fulfilling its side of the understanding'.