US nuke deal protest forces Indian parliament to close early New Delhi (AFP) Sept 11, 2007 India's parliament adjourned early Monday following the stalling of proceedings by opposition MPs protesting a controversial nuclear deal with the United States, an official said. The monsoon session of parliament, originally scheduled to sit until Friday, ended four days early, the parliament official said. The main opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been demanding a joint parliamentary probe into the deal. On Monday BJP MPs kept up their demands, shouting "We want JPC (joint parliamentary committee)" and "No JPC, no house," forcing the speaker to adjourn. The pact, concluded in August, seeks to bring New Delhi into the loop of global atomic commerce after a gap of more than three decades. But it has been rejected by the Congress-led government's communist allies and the BJP, who say the agreement threatens India's sovereignty and will curb its military capability. The BJP has rejected a 15-member panel composed of government ministers and communist leaders to review objections to the accord, which the government insists is vital to provide energy to sustain India's rapidly growing economy. The government's communist allies have told ministers not to implement the deal until all doubts are settled. The first meeting of the Congress-Communist panel is to be held at Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee's office on Tuesday. The agreement allows India to buy civilian nuclear technology while possessing nuclear weapons despite not having signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. New Delhi must conclude an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers' Group before it can buy power plants and technology. The deal, the cornerstone of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's foreign policy, also requires approval by the US Congress before it can be implemented. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Civil Nuclear Energy Science, Technology and News Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
Bangladesh seeks Russian help to to build nuclear power plant Dhaka (AFP) Sept 10, 2007 Bangladesh's emergency government has sought Russian assistance to build a nuclear power plant to meet electricity shortages that have sparked riots and hit the country's economy. |
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