India Tells U.S. "Oh, No You Didn't!"
I couldn't help myself regarding the post title. It came to me in the shower and I went with it.
The United States is really showing how little power and influence we have in the world, when we have to resort to bullying tactics like this to get our way. I wonder what we did to scrape together our Coalition of the Willing to start the war in Iraq.
I'll be keeping tabs on this issue in the future as I'm more than curious to see how it plays out...
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A landmark nuclear deal between India and the United States will "die" in Washington if New Delhi supports Iran at the upcoming meeting of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency, the U.S. ambassador said Wednesday.
A week before the International Atomic Energy Agency meets to discuss Iran's nuclear program, U.S. Ambassador David Mulford said that if India does not vote to refer Tehran to the U.N. Security Council, it would be "devastating" to the deal currently before the U.S. Congress.
After Mulford's comments, India reiterated that the two issues should remain separate.
"We categorically reject any attempt to link (Iran) to the proposed Indo-U.S. agreement on civil nuclear energy cooperation, which stands on its own merits," Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said in a statement.
"The position that India will take on this issue at the IAEA will be based on India's own independent judgment."
The separation is necessary because the United States has only agreed to recognize India as having a civilian nuclear program - not as a legitimate nuclear weapons state.
The deal was signed in July when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Washington, and marked a major policy shift for the United States, which imposed sanctions on India in 1998 after it conducted nuclear tests. The restrictions have been lifted.
IAEA referral of Iran to the Security Council could lead to economic and political sanctions against Tehran, which the United States and European powers fear could use its nuclear program to develop weapons. Tehran insists its program is for generating electricity.
Related Articles:
India Protests US Nukes Statement
India Defies Pressure Over Iran Case
The United States is really showing how little power and influence we have in the world, when we have to resort to bullying tactics like this to get our way. I wonder what we did to scrape together our Coalition of the Willing to start the war in Iraq.
I'll be keeping tabs on this issue in the future as I'm more than curious to see how it plays out...
----------------------
A landmark nuclear deal between India and the United States will "die" in Washington if New Delhi supports Iran at the upcoming meeting of the U.N. atomic watchdog agency, the U.S. ambassador said Wednesday.
A week before the International Atomic Energy Agency meets to discuss Iran's nuclear program, U.S. Ambassador David Mulford said that if India does not vote to refer Tehran to the U.N. Security Council, it would be "devastating" to the deal currently before the U.S. Congress.
After Mulford's comments, India reiterated that the two issues should remain separate.
"We categorically reject any attempt to link (Iran) to the proposed Indo-U.S. agreement on civil nuclear energy cooperation, which stands on its own merits," Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna said in a statement.
"The position that India will take on this issue at the IAEA will be based on India's own independent judgment."
The separation is necessary because the United States has only agreed to recognize India as having a civilian nuclear program - not as a legitimate nuclear weapons state.
The deal was signed in July when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Washington, and marked a major policy shift for the United States, which imposed sanctions on India in 1998 after it conducted nuclear tests. The restrictions have been lifted.
IAEA referral of Iran to the Security Council could lead to economic and political sanctions against Tehran, which the United States and European powers fear could use its nuclear program to develop weapons. Tehran insists its program is for generating electricity.
Related Articles:
India Protests US Nukes Statement
India Defies Pressure Over Iran Case
posted by The Optimistic Cynic at 10:15 PM
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