Women’s Action for New Directions

National Office: 691 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington, MA  02476
March 3, 2006  | Contact: Mary Babic, 781 643 6740
For Immediate Release  | Email: mbabic@wand.org

Deal violates international agreements, raises the odds of nuclear disaster, opens the door to rapid proliferation of nuclear weapons.

 U.S. can, and must, enhance its relationship with India through other means.

ARLINGTON, MA – Women’s Action for New Directions today issued a statement criticizing the deal that Bush just negotiated with India over nuclear power.

The proposal directly violates the terms of the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT); the NPT has been in place since 1970, and 187 countries have signed onto its terms. India is one of the few countries that is not a member of the NPT; offering them access to nuclear technology is in direct violation of the agreement. The rules were established in order to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; breaking the rules would likely start a new round of efforts to develop and build more nuclear weapons.

The U.S. wants to make an exception to the rules for India alone – not for the others, including Cuba, Pakistan, and Israel. However, breaking the rules simply opens the door for Iran and Pakistan to appeal to others who are part of the NPT, including China.

Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA) said yesterday that “The U.S. has now pushed over a nuclear domino that falls against 187 other nations – all signers of the NPT – to review why they should honor a document which the nuclear superpowers no longer respect. It empowers the hawks in every rogue nation to put their nuclear weapons plans on steroids now that they can no longer be isolated as non-signers of an agreement that has been shredded.”

“It’s a simple, effective, and powerful deal,” says Susan Shaer, Executive Director of WAND. “If you want nuclear technology, you sign onto the NPT. And you abide by its strictures. That’s it. It helps to contain the spread of nuclear weapons, and to make us a little safer against the possibility that a nuclear bomb will get dropped – either by a rogue state or a terrorist organization.”

India now has the capacity to produce six to ten nuclear bombs a year. If the deal goes through, it will have the capacity to produce nearly 50 per year.

“Every time a new nuclear weapon is created, the possibility of the use of such a weapon is increased, “ says Shaer. “It becomes easier and easier for one to fall into the wrong hands: The materials are created, the technology is spread, the weapons are misplaced. It is absolutely unacceptable that the U.S. would do anything at this point in our history to tip the balance toward nuclear proliferation. We can do much, much more to build a relationship with India that does not threaten life on this planet.”

Before the agreement can be implemented, Congress must amend provisions of the 1954 Atomic Energy Act on exporting nuclear technology, carving out a special exemption for India. Such a move could undermine efforts to prevent other nations (such as Iran) from developing nuclear weapons in violation of international treaties.

“Congress has a chance to stop this,” says Shaer, “And it must. This is raising the stakes to a horribly high level.”

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