Here In India, the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told the parliamentarians in House that India has retained the rights to conduct an atomic weapon test if needed in future.

On the other hand, the United States department of state has said that the US administration would scrap the Indo-US nuclear deal if India conducts any atomic weapons test in future.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said:

The proposed 123 agreement has provisions in it that in an event of a nuclear test by India, then all nuclear cooperation is terminated.

There is also a provision for return of all materials, including reprocessed material covered by the agreement.

Now, the statement came from the state department would definitely create problem for the UPA government in India as the government had assured the nation that India would retain the rights to conduct any atomic test.

This has become almost clear that both the countries have given different interpretations of the 123 agreement signed by diplomats from both the countries. The UPA cabinet has also given approval to the 123 agreement that is said to be the operating agreement of the much-debated-turned-controversial Indo-Us civilian nuclear deal.

Earlier, PM Manmohan Singh had said in Parliament that the agreement would not affect the India’s military program or any other plans to test nuclear weapons.

Manmohan Singh said in parliament:

The agreement did not in any way affect India’s right to undertake future nuclear tests, if it is necessary.

There is no question that we will ever compromise, in any manner, our independent foreign policy. We shall retain our strategic autonomy.

Now, the US state department has made it very much clear that the US would not accept India’s decision to conduct any nuclear test in future, If India would decide to do so, the civilian nuclear deal with India will be terminated.

According to the spokesman, the proposed 123 agreement has provisions in it that in an event of a nuclear test by India, then all nuclear cooperation is terminated.

Now, it would be interesting to see UPA government’s reactions on this statement made by the US state department because, the government had given the assurance to the country and now the US is saying something opposite of India’s claim about the 123 agreement.

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