Statement of External Affair Ministry in the parliament Questions have been raised about India%u2019s right to test when the bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement with the US enters into force. The factual position is as follows:
India has the sovereign right to test and would do so if it is necessary in national interest. The only restraint in our voluntary unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing, declared by the previous government and being continued by the successor government. There is nothing in the bilateral agreement that would tie the hands of a future government or legally constrain its options. A decision to undertake a future nuclear test would be India%u2019s sovereign decision, resting solely with the Government of India.
Nowhere in the bilateral agreement on Cooperation for Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy with the United States of America is testing mentioned. The bilateral cooperation agreement contains elaborate provisions in Articles 5 and 14 to ensure the continuous operation of India%u2019s reactors. These include fuel supply assurances, the right to take corrective measures, and a strategic fuel reserve for the lifetime of India%u2019s reactors in case of cessation of cooperation.
