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US thanks India for its support in IAEA vote on Iran nuclear issue

T.C. Malhotra - 10/3/2005

India's vote at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in aligning itself with the United States and the European Union over Iran nuclear issue has started a debate in Washington and New Delhi, while Tehran has threaten to review its economic and trade ties with all those countries which voted against it.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters in Tehran that Iran was particularly surprised by the vote against it from India. "We will send a letter of objection to the countries that voted for the resolution", he said.

Warning the 22 countries of economic consequences, he said, "Iran will revise these (economic and trade) relations and these countries will suffer. Our economic and political relations are coordinated with each other."

India’s delegation was one of the 22 which voted against Iran at the IAEA, in Vienna on September 24, out of a total 35.

Iran also threatened to resume uranium enrichment and block UN inspections of its nuclear facilities unless the United Nations’ nuclear agency IAEA retracted its resolution that put the country on the verge of referral to the Security Council for possible sanctions.

However, Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said Iran was willing to continue its "friendly" relationship with India. "We should not lose a friend because of one incident," Larijani told reporters. "We will have talks with India over Iran’s nuclear ambitions in the future."

The Bush administration has lauded India's decision and declared that it appreciated New Delhi's support. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said, "We appreciate the support."

The co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, Rep. Gary Ackerman (Democrat-New York), also hailed India's stand. "The government of India made the right choice in voting to urge Iran to comply with its international obligations and return to negotiations with the European Union," he said.

Leading US Congressmen have welcomed India voting with the US on the Iran nuclear issue and say it will ease the path to bilateral civil nuclear cooperation.

Congressman Tom Lantos (Democrat-California), who vehemently criticised India two weeks ago for not unequivocally supporting the US position on Iran’s suspected nuclear weapons programme, hailed what he called a "reversal" in New Delhi’s opinion.

India lobbied hard behind the scenes at the IAEA meeting to water down a European Union resolution demanding that the issue of alleged violations of international treaties by Iran be sent to the UN Security Council for a vote that might have ended in sanctions against that country.

A leading American expert says that India's IAEA vote is likely to shift the focus of the American debate on nuclear cooperation with India from Iranian proliferation to the size and shape of New Delhi's own nuclear arsenal. Strobe Talbott, deputy secretary of state in the Clinton administration, says in a published interview that the Iran issue might have ''created a static'' in Indo-U.S. relations, but will not undermine the nuclear pact.

"There is no way on god's green earth that there will be significant opposition to the nuclear deal with India," Talbott said. However, he pointed to the discomfort within the American arms control community that the Bush administration has not persuaded India to accept any restraints on its nuclear arsenal.

Defending its decision to support the resolution, India hoped that it would not affect bilateral energy cooperation and that it would go ahead with the $ 7.4-billion trilateral gas pipeline project through Pakistan if found economically viable.

India's Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said in New Delhi that India supported the IAEA resolution to avert "a major confrontation" between Iran and the international community.

India's decision has created a diplomatic earthquake in New Delhi. Its stand to vote against Iran has been criticised in New Delhi not only by opposition parties but also from its allies in the ruling coalition.

India’s main opposition party BJP has accused the current coalition government as making India a satellite nation or a client state of US. BJP leader and former Foreign Minister Yashwant Singh has criticised the government for ‘abandoning’ Iran saying the ruling coalition had succumbed to the US pressure.

The Left parties have also lashed out at the Manmohan Singh government for "succumbing to US blackmail", saying that by voting with the US and EU to refer Iran’s nuclear programme to the UN Security Council, the country has given up its policy of non-alignment.

While most non-aligned countries like South Africa, Brazil, Mexico and Sri Lanka abstained from the vote, India yielded to the US pressure and went with the nuclear deal signed recently with the US, the CPM and CPI said in separate statements.

India was under pressure for quite some time from the United State on Iran nuclear issue and analysts feels that on the Iran issue, India clearly bent under US pressure, but Indian officials denies the charge.

Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran rejected the charge that India acted under pressure from the US and said that it made the judgment on a vote on the EU-3 resolution after very careful consideration of all the issues involved. He also said the government did not believe that India voting against Iran constituted a shift in India’s policy and believes that much of New Delhi's effort was on behalf of Iran.

The IAEA resolution told Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment activities, including uranium conversion, to abandon the construction of a heavy water nuclear reactor, and to grant access to certain locations and documents.

It may be noted that the IAEA has been investigating Iran since early 2003 on U.S. charges that it was secretly developing nuclear weapons. Iran insists its nuclear activities are for peaceful energy purposes.

India is trying to walk a narrow line in its relations with the United States and Iran. India has traditionally strong ties with Iran. At the same time, it is a strong ally of the U.S. in its war against terrorism, believing that it is the victim of terrorism supported by Pakistan.

Energy hungry India looks toward Iran for its oil and energy needs. Recently, Iran has given "final clearances" to a $22 billion deal to export 5 million tonnes of liquified natural gas (LNG) to India for 25 years starting from 2009-10. Also, Iran is said to be giving positive consideration to India's desire to increase the agreed amount of five million tonnes of LNG by another 2.5 million tonnes.

India has announced its intention to go ahead with a gas pipeline project with Iran, despite Washington's opposition. The U.S. fears that Iran will use revenues from the pipeline for its nuclear weapons program. The pipeline would run through Pakistan, which is likely to receive a handsome amount annually in royalties if the proposed gas deal is struck.

The United States has reaffirmed its commitment to the joint agreement reached in July between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and U.S. President George Bush in Washington.

The issue came up at a 30-minute meeting between the Indian Prime Minister and Bush, at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York recently. Singh and Bush were both in New York for the 60th session of the UN General Assembly. The two leaders also discussed the Iran nuclear issue.

Bush acknowledged that there was opposition in Congress to his decision to engage in "full civil nuclear energy cooperation" with India, but hoped that the legislature will "adjust U.S. laws and policies" to facilitate the transfer of American nuclear technology and equipment.

The landmark agreement on civil nuclear cooperation offered New Delhi comprehensive access to civilian nuclear technology in exchange for, among other things, voluntarily bringing its power reactors and other civilian nuclear facilities under safeguards.