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Supporting worldwide understanding of
South Asian non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament issues.
The Journal of South Asian
Non-Proliferation
is a Product of the South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI)
CONTENTS
Special Features
Progress on 123 Agreements
NUCLEAR
RELATED ISSUES
ASEAN tightens nuclear non-proliferation treaty
Democrat says US-India nuclear agreement breaks law Bush signed
India retains right to conduct nuclear tests: officials
India seeks civil nuke energy cooperation from Brazil, South Africa
India pledge on reprocessing led to breakthrough
Indian cabinet backs nuclear deal
Pakistan warns US of Asian Arms race
Uranium saled to India appear inevitable, but
there’s still scope for a better price
MISSILE RELATED ISSUES
China opposed to European missile defense
India’s Agni-III: Missile in the eyes of Chinese Strategic Experts
India begins work on Agni-VI missile
India to Test Cruise Missile in 2007
India working on new generation missiles
Pakistan test-fires missile
SUMMARIES
Progress on 123
Agreements, Zafar Nawaz Jaspal, Op-ed, South Asian Strategic Stability Institute,
London, July,
2007. The author comments on the progress made in the 123 nuclear
agreements between India
and the U.S.
He states that influential nuclear
commercial and pro-India lobbies in Washington
have mustered moving support to facilitate nuclear trade with Delhi. On July 21, 2007 the
representatives of Bush Administration and Singh government have finalized an
agreement aimed at sealing
a civilian nuclear deal that has become a touchstone of the growing
friendship between the two countries. Under Secretary of State for
Political Affairs Nicholas Burns and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar
Menon in a joint press statement claimed that both
countries had made substantial progress on the outstanding issues in the 123
Agreement. Though sticky issues seem resolved and the nuclear deal is near
completion, especially after the Indian Cabinet approved the technical
aspects of the deal, yet the approval from U.S. Congress and clearance from
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) still required.
ASEAN tightens nuclear non-proliferation treaty , World Nuclear News,
July 29, 2007. On June 29, 2007 a meeting in Manila, Philippines, comprising
of foreign ministers from the ASEAN
member states reviewed the implementation of the Southeast Asian Nuclear
Weapons Free Zone (SEANWFZ) treaty and endorsed a five-year plan of action to
strengthen it.
Democrat
says US-India nuclear agreement breaks law Bush signed, Michael Roston, July 27, 2007. A Democratic Congressman who has
longed opposed greater US-India cooperation on nuclear energy technologies
said a new agreement between the countries breaks a law signed by President
George W. Bush at the end of 2006. "If the US-India agreement is really
consistent with the letter and spirit of the Hyde Act, as the administration
claims, why won’t they release the text?" Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA)
asked in a statement released his office late on Friday.
India
retains right to conduct nuclear tests: officials, Iftikar
Gilani, Daily Times, July 28, 2007. The
author reports that India
has not forfeited its right to conduct nuclear tests and the text of the
Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement draft finalised in Washington last week
has no reference to that effect or any other conditions on defence purchases
from the US,
the Indian negotiators said on Friday. In the first media briefing held by
the Americans in Washington
DC, National Security Adviser
MK Narayanan, who headed the Indian team, said they had managed to secure a
good deal under the circumstances
India
seeks civil nuke energy cooperation from Brazil, South Africa, ANI
Correspondent,
DNAINDIA, July 17, 2007. Brazil and South Africa, both key members of
the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), decided to cooperate on 'unimpeded growth
and development of peaceful use of atomic energy, through the supply of
technology, equipment and material, under appropriate safeguards'
Indian
Pledge on Reprocessing Led to Breakthrough, Bibhudatta Pradhan and Ashok Bhattacharjee, Bloomberg.com, July 27, 2007. ndia's pledge to
set up a ``state- of-the-art'' reprocessing site for spent atomic fuel led to
a breakthrough in stalled talks on a civilian nuclear energy agreement, a top
U.S. negotiator said. The reprocessing will be subject to International
Atomic Energy Agency safeguards, Nicholas Burns, the U.S. undersecretary of state for political
affairs, told reporters in Washington
today after a joint announcement that the two countries had completed the
agreement. India's
proposal on the facility, which was crucial to both sides concurring on
terms, came in early June when Burns was in New Delhi, he said.
Indian cabinet backs
nuclear deal, BBC News, July 25 2007. The Indian government says that it has reached agreement with the United States
on implementing
a controversial civilian nuclear co-operation accord. The agreement
was reached in principle two years ago but has been mired in negotiations
over the details.
Pakistan
warns US of Asian Arms race Jo Johnson, Financial Times, August 2, 2007. On
August 2, 2007, Jo Johnson reported that Pakistan on Thursday night warned that the
groundbreaking civil nuclear co-operation agreement between the US and India
risked triggering an arms race in south Asia, in a statement likely to
inflame already tense relations with Washington.
Uranium
sales to India appear inevitable, but there’s scope for a better
price The Sydney Morning
Herald, August 6, 2007, On 6th August 2007, the
Sydney Morning herald reported that the decision of the federal cabinet of Australia
to sell Uranium generated more heat than light. Critics of the idea insist Australia is
shedding principles to reward an outlaw, thus encouraging others to seek
nuclear weapons. In response, supporters claim that nuclear co-operation with
India
will reduce the spread of these most destructive of arms
China Opposed to
European Missile Defense, InterFax, July 18, 2007. On July 18, 2007, the Interfax reported that Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman
Liu Jianchiao has criticized missile defense systems as impediments to close cooperation
between nations and the pursuit of peace. "China is
consistent in its confidence that the deployment of missile defense systems is detrimental to the current strategic
condition of peace and stability in the world; that it does not promote
regional security and mutual trust between countries, and may engender the
problem of proliferation of missile weapons and an arms race."
Asked by Interfax to comment on Russia's suspension of its participation in
the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty, Liu said: "We have
taken into consideration Russia's
statement and its concerns about security issues."
India’s
Agni-III: Missile in the eyes of Chinese Strategic Experts, D. S. Rajan, South Asia Analysis Group, July 2, 2007. The official reaction from the People’s Republic of China
(PRC) to India’s successful flight test on 12 April 2007, of
a nuclear capable Agni III Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM)
with strike range of more than 3000 km and payload of 1.5 tons, has been
prompt, but subdued. On the same day, the Spokesperson of the PRC Foreign
ministry while taking note of the test, expressed hope that India, as a country with an
important influence in the region, can work to maintain and promote peace and
stability in the region. Later, the official Xinhua
News Agency (16 April 2007) took cognisance of the statement made by the
Chief of the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation that India
is working to update the Agni III as an Inter Continental Ballistic Missile
(ICBM) with the range reaching 5500 km and same pay load.
India
begins work on Agni-V1 missile, Associated Press of Pakistan, August 9,
2007. The Associated Press of
Pakistan has reported that India has begun work to launch
Agni-V1 ballistic missile with a range of 5000 kms.
The missile would be featured with stealth technology and would be more
accurate than those currently available in market.
India To Test
Cruise Missile in 2007, NewsPost
India,
July 24, 2007. On July 24,
2007, Newspost India reported that India's
Advanced Systems Laboratory, a unit of the Defense
Research and Development Organization (DRDO), is developing a new
medium-range, multi-platform missile, named the Nirbhay.
"It [Nirbhay] will be better than [the] Babur,"
explained Avinash Chander,
director of ASL, referring to Pakistan's
first subsonic, low-level terrain-mapping cruise missile. The
Pakistani Babur was originally developed with a 500 km range and was later
upgraded to 700 km. The Nirbhay missile will have a
range of 1,000 kilometers and a speed of 0.7 mach,
or 70% of the speed of sound. While the missile is being developed
domestically, India
is looking at foreign partnerships to develop the engine.
India
working on new generation missiles, Sudhakar Jagdish, DailyNews India, July
7, 2007. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has begun working on a new generation of missiles after
achieving success in validating the Agni and Prithvi
set of missiles. Work on three new variants of
missiles are being carried out that include a 5000-5500 kilometres range
three stage variant of Agni missile, hypersonic Brahmos
and a new nuclear warhead carrying capable naval missile, Sagarika
Pakistan test-fires missile,
Dawn, July 27, 2007. On 26th July, 2007, Pakistan on
Thursday conducted a successful test of the indigenously-developed cruise
missile Babur (Hatf-VII). The missile test is part
of a continuous process for validating the design parameters set for the
weapon system. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public
Relations, the range of Babur cruise missile, which was first tested in 2005,
has been enhanced to 700kms. The Babur, which has near stealth capabilities,
is a low flying, terrain-hugging missile with high manoeuvrability, pinpoint
accuracy and radar avoidance features. The test was witnessed by the Chairman
of Nescom, Dr Samar Mubarakmand,
senior military officers and scientists of the strategic organisations.
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South Asian Strategic Stability Institute (SASSI)
The South Asian Strategic Stability
Institute (SASSI) is an independent think tank dedicated to promoting
peace and stability in the South Asian region. SASSI contributes to the
international debate on contemporary South Asian security issues through
this and other substantive products.
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Journal
of South Asian Nonproliferation Issues
Produced by: SASSI, 36 Alie St.,
Aldgate East, London,
E1 8DA, UK
Copyright 2007 All rights reserved.
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