Brazil 'positive' about civil nuclear cooperation with India

India
Brazil 'positive' about civil nuclear cooperation with India
By IANS, Apr 13, 2007 - 9:14:56 PM

New Delhi, April 13 - Ahead of President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva's visit to India in June, Brazil, a member of the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, Friday said it had no issues with civil nuclear cooperation with India and struck an optimistic note on the G4 initiative for expansion of UN Security Council.

'We believe India is committed to nuclear non-proliferation. We have to be, however, clear that such a cooperation conforms to our obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,' Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, who wrapped up his four-day visit to India Friday, told select journalists.

'The India-US civil nuclear deal doesn't cause us any concern. Brazil made a clear option not to have nuclear weapons. But it can cooperate with India in peaceful uses of nuclear energy like medicine, food and conservation,' Amorim said.

During his meetings with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Friday and with External Affairs Minister, Amorim discussed civilian nuclear cooperation and a host of bilateral and global issues, including the UN reforms and multilateral WTO - trade negotiations and the IBSA - grouping.

Civil nuclear cooperation is part of the strategic dialogue that was launched Thursday with Amorim's discussions on a wide swathe of bilateral issues with National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan.

Earlier, speaking to reporters after the meeting of the third joint commission, Amorim stressed that Brazil was 'looking at positive and pragmatic steps in this direction'.

'There are good prospects for civilian nuclear cooperation within the International Atomic Energy Agency - safeguards,' Amorim said during a joint press interaction together with Minister of State of External Affairs Anand Sharma.

A delegation of Brazil's National Nuclear Energy Commission is likely to visit India soon to discuss the issue, Amorim said.

Last year, during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Brasilia for the IBSA summit, Brazil had lent its support for 'forward looking approaches to enhance international civilian nuclear cooperation'.

Amorim also discussed with Indian leaders the broad outlines of the agenda for the visit of Lula Da Silva in June. A slew of agreements is expected to be signed during his visit.

Speaking to business leaders in the afternoon at a meeting organised by the Confederation of Indian Industries, Amorim said the two countries are confident of overcoming the knowledge gap to achieve bilateral trade target of $10 billion by 2010.

A CEOs' forum comprising top business leaders of the two countries is likely to be launched during the visit of the Brazilian president, he said.

He also participated in a key meeting of ministers from India, the European Union, the US, Australia and Japan on WTO negotiations and said that these countries were confident of wrapping up the Doha Development Round before the end of the year.

Besides nuclear energy, Brazil and India are also cooperating in the crucial area of bio-fuels and have agreed to set up an international market for ethanol fuel.

Belying sceptics' assertions, India and Brazil have fleshed out an action plan to push the G4 initiative that also includes Japan and Germany and said they were 'confident' that the expansion of the Security Council would become real in the not too distant future.

Top officials of the G4 are expected to meet in Brasilia next month to discuss the G4 strategy to push the Security Council reforms.

'I see the process advancing. We are now in the negotiating phase,' Amorim said, underlining that it was difficult to bring about a change in the power structure of the global body in a day.

'Brazil and India are steadfast in their commitment to bring about reforms in the UN and expansion of the UN Security Council,' said Sharma after co-chairing the meeting of the joint commission with Amorim.

'We do hope that the African Union will be able to reach a consensus on this soon. We can't put a time cap to it, but we will surely succeed in it,' he stressed.

All rights reserved by RxPG Medical Solutions Private Limited ( www.rxpgnews.com )