Friends, The August issue is just going to be out. May place your orders with <[email protected]>.
We're reproducing below the Editorial and Contents. Sukla *Editorial* * * The interlude since the last issue in February was quite eventful on the nuclear front. As the selection of articles here would indicate, nearer home, the ‘Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill 2010’ is a hot topic right now, hogging all out attentions. And, it was the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference (RevCon) 2010 from May 3-28 which was very much on top of the global agenda. But even before these, as a follow up of the Indo-US nuclear deal, which prized open the doors of the global nuclear market for India shut tight since the first nuclear explosion by India on may 18 1974, a nuclear fuel reprocessing deal was rather unobtrusively struck between India and the US. Again, India could extract concessions beyond the originally envisaged framework of the deal. Pursuant to the “Agreement for Cooperation Concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy [the Indo-US nuclear deal], with Agreed Minute, signed at Washington, on October 10, 2008 (“the Agreement for Cooperation”), which entered into force on December 6, 2008”, this subsidiary deal allows India to reprocess spent nuclear fuel originating from out of imports from the US in two installations as opposed to a single dedicated facility originally envisaged. Even the provision relating to suspension of such reprocessing on the ground of Indian misdemeanour is more lenient than usual. That’s a coup of sorts notched up by the Indian negotiators at the end of hard bargaining. But the success may make the process of granting of DOE approval for nuclear exports to India under regulation 10 CFR Part 810 all the more tricky. Beyond that it poses an additional threat to the current non-proliferation regime. Now even other (non-nuclear weapon) states would be clamouring for reprocessing rights. Friction is already developing between the US and South Korea, a long time US ally, on this score. At the same time, Pakistan and China reportedly inked a deal on the lines of the Indo-US one for supply of two additional nuclear reactors by China to Pakistan for its Chashma plant sans the NSG approval as had been granted by the international body for the initial two reactors in 2004 as part of China’s pre-existing commitments. This was on October 15 2008, four days after the Indo-US deal having been signed. It may be recalled that Pakistan’s persistent clamour for a similar deal had been rudely rebuffed by the US. India is intently trying to block its execution. But the chances of success look to be dim. More so as the 46-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meet at Christchurch in New Zealand from June 21-25 had to eventually look away from this controversial issue. The meet also failed to adopt new guidelines that would have led to the denial of enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) technology to countries like India that have not signed the NPT. Whatever that be, the Pak-China deal seems to be on course. It is after May 18 1974, when India carried out its first nuclear blast, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, would proclaim that Pakistanis are ready to eat grass if necessary to make nuclear bomb. And, finally, it is May 11, and 13, 1998 that made possible for Pakistan to carry out its own nuclear explosion just in a fortnight's time on the following May 28 and 30. Now, again a repetition of the same story, as it looks. An Indian initiative, in defiance of obtaining international norms and perceived to be a grave threat by Pakistan and thereby strongly resented, opens up an avenue for a similar move by Pakistan in an even more brazen manner. In this issue we have included thoughtful and informed articles on the NPT RevCon 2010. It includes the CNDP appeal to the State Parties participating in the Conference. Also, one by an Australian activist who had been at the Ground Zero. The RevCon eventually failed to actualise all the high hopes raised in its run up but was nevertheless a strikingly welcome departure from the grim outcome of the preceding one fiver years back. As noted above, the ‘Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill 2010’ is at the moment engaging all our attention. The CNDP, as an organisation, is keenly engaged with the issue, at the frontline of the campaign against it, repeatedly petitioning the concerned authorities. Her we’ve included the latest CNDP petition to the Parliamentary Standing Committee which is examining the draft Bill at the moment and also a very detailed article examining the issue, the legal aspects in particular. We’ve also included articles on nuclear power – its new promises, and the latest Nuclear Posture Review by the US. Hope the readers will find all these relevant and useful. END Contents *EDITORIAL / 1* *A. Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review* *Conference 2010 / 3* I. CNDP Appeal to the State Parties II. NPT Review Conference 2010: An assessment / P K Sundaram III. Peace camp and NPT: Post-RevCon posers/ J. Sri Raman IV. A Slightly Heretical Report on the NPT Review Conference NY, 3-28 MAY 2010 / John Hallam *B. Global Issues / 20* I. Obama's Nuclear Postures / Zia Mian *C.* *On Nuclear Power / 26* I. Safety Concerns with the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor / Ashwin Kumar and M V Ramana *D. Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill 2010 / 28* I. CNDP Supplementary Submission to the Standing Committee II. The Nuclear Liability Jurisprudence / Madabhushi Sridhar -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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