I have personal reservations about describing this civil nuclear cooperation agreement as some sort of a deal. This is an agreement. We want to have civil nuclear cooperation with the international community, and particularly the 45 countries who have constituted the NSG.

The day the Hyde Act was passed, I reacted saying that there are prescriptive provisions in respect of the Act, which are not applicable to us and we will not accept it. What does it mean? It means that we will not accept it. On these issues, anywhere, if they want to impose conditionalities of the Hyde Act or anywhere if they want to link their cooperation with reference to the Hyde Act that will be the breaking point.

Questions have been raised as to why we have not given the (IAEA) text when the text was finalised. We could not give the text because in various countries there are various methods of treating documents.

Even in the case of an important agreement like the existing Indo-Soviet Friendship Treaty, the Parliament came to know of it after 25 years in 1970 when it was announced. I am not going into the merits of the constitutional provisions. But, from January 26, 1950, till today, that has been the practice. Advaniji had the opportunity to see it as the home minister, as the deputy prime minister, when he had appointed a commission to have a re-look at the constitutional provisions.

Why should we go to the NSG? It is because unless we go to the NSG, our friends in Russia, France and in other countries cannot agree to have us on board. The NSG and IAEA clearance can be described in the common man’s language as the passport and visa (to the nuclear world). Whether I travel or not it depends on me. But, if I do not have a passport, I cannot apply for a visa. If I do not have a visa, I cannot enter a country. Please let us have these passports and visas.

... contd.