El Baradei pitches strongly for Indo-US N deal

New Delhi: Making a strong pitch for the Indo-US

Nuclear deal, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director

General Mohammed El Baradei on Friday said he wanted India to be a full partner in nuclear arena including its use for peaceful purposes and to rid the world of nuclear weapons.

Replying to questions after delivering the Hindustan Times

Leaderhip Summit lecture here he said he favoured the end rather

than the means to achieving the end.

The end was to see India come out of nuclear isolation and help

it sustain its nine per cent growth with the help of energy. It

would need all kinds of energy, including nuclear to sustain that

growth.

''I look at the end and not the means. For me the end is very

clear. India can't sustain its growth without energy. There is no

question that a large developing country like India can do it. You

need energy because of various reasons including development and

climate change,'' he said.

He also said that Indo-US nuclear deal would not affect India's foreign policy.

He said he also wanted India to come out of nuclear isolation and

become a full partner of the nuclear member body.

''India should not continue to be an outsider but should be a

full partner in the nuclear field for peaceful purposes and ridding

the world of nuclear weapons. I can't see how to get it done

without India being at the centre of the effort to abolish nuclear

weapons,'' he aid in reply to a question.

Dr El Baradei said he wanted India ''liberated from the

restrictions of 45-member countries (Nuclear Suppliers Group).”

“To me it means being free to have state-of-the art (nuclear) technology,” he said.

He, however, said that how India should go about it, was for it

to see.

He also played down the safeguard agreement saying there was

nothing significant about it. It already had four such agreements

with India and had also signed such agreement with 180 countries.

India had already explained in the Separation Plan that it would

place certain reactors for examination.

A Safeguards Agreement with India can be worked out

within weeks after Government here decides to go ahead, said El Baradei.