Segregation plans put strain on US nuclear agreement

New Delhi: The Prime Minister's Office and the department of atomic energy differ on several aspects of the US-India civilian nuclear deal, with top nuclear scientists determined not to allow the United States full say in the separation of the country's military and civilian nuclear facilities.

The Americans' insistence on a full, and not as initially stated, phased separation plan was the initial bone of contention, with the nuclear establishment particularly worried about the pressure to place the fast breeder reactors on the civilian programme that will be subject to intrusive IAEA inspection under the additional protocol.

The initial assurance that India will be recognised as a nuclear weapon state on par with the US is also not being met, leading to apprehension that the country's nuclear programme is being brought "through the backdoor" under a stringent inspections regime.

The media is being used now by both the Americans and the Prime Minister's Office, through select briefings, to push the deal forward although, as well-placed sources pointed out, "it has run into trouble" and will require Singh's direct intervention by accepting key US conditions to push it out of the woods.