During the forthcoming G-20 Summit in Toronto, India and Canada are all set to sign a civil nuclear agreement. Once that is done it will ensure India supply of Uranium besides co-operation in nuclear research and development, nuclear waste management, radiation safety and environment protection.
Apart from that, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper would also get involved in a “substantive” bilateral engagement. The two countries are also likely to conclude a number of agreements besides the nuke pact. They include social security, mining, higher education and culture.
Vivek Katju, secretary west, said this while briefing reporters on the Prime Minister’s visit to Canada to participate in the G-20 Summit. He also added that the bilateral engagement between New Delhi and Toronto will give a huge boost to the economic and commercial co-operation of the two countries in the areas of science and technology, health, agriculture and culture.
On Canada’s negative response to India’s Pokharan-1, Mr Katju said that India doesn’t look back but looks forward to the future. The G-20 Summit is expected to take a look at the implementation of the old decisions arrived at by earlier G-20 Summits. It also would review the current status of the global recovery plan that was initiated following the global recession.
It is believed that Dr ManMohan Singh will also meet other world leaders including US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao who also would be attending the meeting. The PM’s delegation would include the National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon and deputy chairperson of the Planning Commission Mr Montek Singh Ahluwalia apart from other top officials.
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Japan ponders N-cooperation with New Delhi
Tokyo, June 22: With billions of dollars from contracts to be earned from India’s ambitious nuclear power projects, Japanese government has started intra-governmental negotiations to decide whether it should ink a civilian atomic pact with New Delhi, which is yet to sign the NPT.
Major US and French nuclear power companies are keen that Japan should conclude an agreement with India so that they can use Japanese technology for an Indian reactor project they are seeking to win, Japanese government sources said.
Intra-governmental negotiations are under way in Japan to decide whether to start negotiations with India over an agreement to cooperate in the field of civilian nuclear power, Kyodo news agency quoted Japanese government officials as saying. The transfer of Japanese technology to India for civilian use requires a nuclear pact.