India and Japan on Saturday spelt out the parameters for a civil nuclear accord which, they hoped, would be negotiated quickly and takes into account Tokyo's sensitivities on the issue.
Speaking to journalists at the end of the fourth round of India-Japan strategic dialogue here, Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna and his Japanese counterpart Katsuya Okada expressed the hope that the economic partnership agreement (EPA) would be finalised before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Tokyo towards the year-end.
Both countries also discussed specific ways to approach the nations that disagreed with the formulation of the G-4 countries (India, Japan, Germany and Brazil), along with Africa, being represented on an expanded U.N. Security Council. The Ministers agreed to hold a brainstorming session with other partners on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly next month in New York.
While hailing India's non-proliferation record, Mr. Okada hoped that Japan's approach to disarmament and non-proliferation would be reflected in the civil nuclear pact that is being negotiated between the two countries. He said the agreement would be terminated if India tested an atomic bomb. This indicated Tokyo's desire to have a civil nuclear agreement modelled on the India-U.S. pact, which contained a similar clause.
Challenging task
Admitting that it was domestically challenging to initiate civil nuclear talks with India, which was not a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Mr. Okada said New Delhi's non-proliferation credentials tilted the scales. Pointing out that Japan was the only country to have experienced a nuclear attack, he said talks with a non-NPT signatory ran counter to Tokyo's policy of seeking a nuclear-free world. He was optimistic of the proposed civil nuclear accord reflecting Japan's position on disarmament and non-proliferation.
Both leaders described economic and trade relations as the fulcrum of bilateral ties, with Mr. Okada observing that despite the “notable deepening” there was need to redouble efforts. He felt that finalisation of the EPA would help raise the economic ties by a couple of notches.
“Win-win” situation
Mr. Krishna conveyed India's appreciation of Japan's decision to begin talks on a civil nuclear pact, with both sides agreeing that the negotiations would continue quickly with no timelines resulting in a “win-win” situation. He also thanked Japan for removing 11 Indian entities from its End User List, which would provide a big boost to high technology trade between the two countries.
On disarmament issues, Mr. Krishna said India shared Japan's goal of a nuclear weapon-free world and was ready to work with it in achieving the objective in a “comprehensive, non-discriminatory and verifiable framework.”
Mr. Okada also called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Planning Commission Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia.
