Nobel peace prize winner supports N-deal

Opponents of the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement have flayed International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei for strongly endorsing the deal.

ElBaradei said the implementation of the deal will be a 'win-win agreement.'

Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, and the main coordinator of the non-proliferation groups and individuals opposing the deal, said, "There he goes again," in reference to ElBaradei's repeated endorsement of the agreement.

The main reason why opponents are piqued with ElBaradei is that the Bush Administration has been using his endorsements as a potent weapon to argue in Congressional testimony.

Kimball told rediff India Abroad: "While we respect Mr ElBaradei for his support for universal approaches to addressing the dangers posed by nuclear weapons worldwide, his personal claim that the US-India civil nuclear cooperation deal is a 'win' for nonproliferation is wrong.

• Complete Coverage: The Indo-US nuclear tango

"He has an obligation to explain why he thinks it is, rather than simply assert that it is."

Kimball argued that 'contrary to ElBaradei's assertions, the US-Indian initiative undermines the nonproliferation regime by granting India the benefits of civil nuclear commerce, while imposing no cap on the growth of India's nuclear weapons stockpile.'

ElBaradei, in Washington to deliver the commencement address at the Johns Hopkins University's School for Advanced International Studies, said immediately after his hour-long meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that 'making sure that India become a partner in the nonproliferation framework,' was among the top agenda items in his discussions with Rice.

• Don't Miss! The Nuclear Straight Hitter

Then, in a direct appeal to lawmakers in both the House and the Senate where the proposed legislation has been pending for months and is still to be voted out of the International Relations and Foreign Relations Committees, ElBaradei declared: "To me, this is a win-win agreement and I hope it be also for Congress.

"We also are trying to look to the big picture in making sure that we have innovative measures to ensure that sensitive proliferation technology, like enrichment or reprocessing is contained."