India breaks ranks with BRICS on N-fuel

NEW DELHI: India has voted in favour of a British proposal at the IAEA meant to ensure continuous supply of nuclear fuel or low-enriched uranium to countries desirous of developing nuclear power for peaceful uses even in the face of adverse political developments between the donor and recipient country.
The proposal, which aims at preventing proliferation and use of nuclear for military purposes , was adopted by the 35-nation IAEA board of governors, of which India is a member, after a vote.
While India voted in favour of the proposal, several other developing countries have expressed serious reservations describing it as an attempt by the western countries to prevent others from acquiring and developing nuclear power for civilian purposes. Other important countries and fellow BRICS nations Brazil and South Africa, which too are members of the IAEA board, abstained from voting. Six other countries including Singapore abstained. Pakistan, which is also among the 35 members, was absent during the voting.
The Nuclear Fuel Assurance proposal, an attempt to make nuclear energy available to aspiring IAEA-member countries while checking proliferation of atomic weapons, comes close on the heels of IAEA’s approval for nuclear fuel banks.