India defended on Saturday a safeguards agreement with the UN atomic energy agency for a sensitive deal on its nuclear reactors, saying it guaranteed uninterrupted fuel supplies for its plants.
Government officials said the safeguards agreement — submitted to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) last week — ensured there would be no abrupt disruption of fuel supplies for its civilian nuclear power plants.
“Discontinuity in the operation of a reactor cannot happen suddenly,” Anil Kakodkar, the chief of India’s Atomic Energy Commission, told reporters.
Under the agreement, India will open its civilian nuclear facilities to international inspection, a condition it must meet to help seal a controversial pact to share nuclear technology with the US.
The Indian government faces a confidence vote in parliament on July 22 following a political crisis sparked by its decision to push ahead with the deal.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh argued the pact is crucial for India’s energy security and continued strong economic growth.
But left-wing parties, who withdrew crucial support for the ruling coalition over the pact, insisted the deal would bind India too closely to the US and ran counter to India’s non-aligned status.
They also said they believe that allowing UN inspections of the country’s civil nuclear program — as demanded by the US — would harm India’s strategic weapons program.
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