07-19-2008, 06:35 PM
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Chidambaram for 'rational debate' on nuclear deal
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Hyderabad (PTI): Voicing "anguish and disappointment" over absence of a "rational debate" on the Indo-US nuclear deal, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday made a strong pitch for wider discussions to understand the benefits of the agreement.
The civil nuclear cooperation with the US and other countries would end nuclear isolation and help India gain access to reactors, fuel and technology in return of the promise to place certain civilian nuclear facilities under safeguards in a phased manner, he said delivering the sixth Convocation Address at the NALSAR University of Law here.
"Thanks to our nuclear isolation since 1998, the capacity utilisation of nuclear power plants has steadily declined from 90 per cent in 2001-02 to 54 per cent in 2007-08. India wishes to end this nuclear isolation," Chidambaram said.
Asking lawyers, legal scholars, students and institutions like NALSAR to join the debate to help highlight the facts, he said: "If a reasoned debate had taken place, the answers to some of the issues (concerning the nuke deal) would have been self-evident and answers to other issues could have been found through application of law and logic to the facts of the case."
Chidambaram for 'rational debate' on nuclear deal
</b>
Hyderabad (PTI): Voicing "anguish and disappointment" over absence of a "rational debate" on the Indo-US nuclear deal, Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday made a strong pitch for wider discussions to understand the benefits of the agreement.
The civil nuclear cooperation with the US and other countries would end nuclear isolation and help India gain access to reactors, fuel and technology in return of the promise to place certain civilian nuclear facilities under safeguards in a phased manner, he said delivering the sixth Convocation Address at the NALSAR University of Law here.
"Thanks to our nuclear isolation since 1998, the capacity utilisation of nuclear power plants has steadily declined from 90 per cent in 2001-02 to 54 per cent in 2007-08. India wishes to end this nuclear isolation," Chidambaram said.
Asking lawyers, legal scholars, students and institutions like NALSAR to join the debate to help highlight the facts, he said: "If a reasoned debate had taken place, the answers to some of the issues (concerning the nuke deal) would have been self-evident and answers to other issues could have been found through application of law and logic to the facts of the case."