India and Japan may be keen to push ahead with a civil nuclear pact but Tokyo has made it abundantly clear that several outstanding issues need to be addressed before the two sides can sign on the dotted line.
Speaking to reporters on the conclusion of the Seventh India-Japan Energy Dialogue here on Thursday, Japanese minister of economy, trade and industry Toshimitsu Motegi said: “There are several outstanding issues that we have... We will have these issues discussed in the working groups so that we can accelerate the efforts.”
While Mr Motegi would not specify what these outstanding issues are, he did say that “there are various difficulties that exist”. He further said that the “issue is still being discussed between working group.”
He added, “Because this would be misleading and therefore, I will like to refrain from making any specific comments about that.”
Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, who also addressed the media alongwith the Japanese minister, said, “This is a very important area of our cooperation but we are not fixing any deadline. We are making progress and let’s see how it goes. It is very complex set of issues that we have to address.”
Mr Motegi also said that efforts were on to conclude the negotiations “as soon as possible.” Among the issues that the two sides will need to resolve is that India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). While India maintains that its non-proliferation record is impeccable to warrant the inking of the pact, Japan wants India to comply with its promise of a ban on further nuclear testing made in the run-up to a clearance by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). The Japanese remarks come just days after the two countries resumed their negotiations on the civil nuclear pact in Tokyo after a gap of three years. For India, looking as it is to meet its growing energy needs, an India-Japan civil nuclear agreement is necessary as Japanese companies enjoy a virtual monopoly on supplying reactor vessels, a critical component of civil nuclear plants. In the absence of a pact, firms might not be able to supply components.