<b>End-user pact is straight, in national interest: Krishna</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Government on Tuesday rejected Opposition charges of comprising national security and sovereignty by going in for the End-user Monitoring Agreement for US defence purchases, declaring that "every thing is very straight."
"Question of bartering of our freedom and sovereignty does not arise. What was being done at the high-end defence purchases is being done now. End-use clause was incorporated earlier," External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told the Lok Sabha, even as almost the entire Opposition, including the BJP and the Left parties, walked out of the House in protest.
Leading the walk-out, Leader of the Opposition L K Advani said the Opposition was dissatisfied with the suo-motu statement, as it failed to address the concerns expressed by members and the move would "send a wrong message" across the country.
Departing from the convention of not giving clarifications on statements in the Lok Sabha, Krishna said he was surprised by the kind of interpretation being given by the Opposition parties to the bilateral understanding and there was "nothing extraordinary" in it. "We are conscious of what we are doing," he added.
"We tried to generalise it (EUMA) for high-end purchases with the US. Everything is very straight. We have done it in the interest of the country," he said.In his suo-motu statement on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to India, Krishna said, "We have agreed on the end-use monitoring arrangements that will henceforth be referred to in letters of acceptance for Indian procurement of US defence technology and equipment.
"This systematises ad hoc arrangements for individual defence procurements from the USA entered into by previous governments," he added, even as he tabled a copy of the Indo-US joint statement made by him and Clinton yesterday.
Krishna said Clinton's visit has helped to "broaden and deepen" the bilateral relationship and to set the terms of future engagement with India and US.
He said India had also agreed on a new bilateral dialogue architecture within which discussions will continue between the two countries on a wide range of issues.
The minister said India and the US have concluded two important agreements during the visit, one on creation of a Science and Technology Endowment Board and another, a Technical Safeguards Agreement, which will permit the launch of civil or non-commercial satellites containing US components on Indian space launch vehicles.
"During the visit, we held productive and constructive discussion on global issues, situation in our region, and on how to enhance our bilateral partnership," he added. Soon after Krishna's statement, Advani expressed anguish over the Minister not addressing the concerns of the House with regard to EUMA.
Advani also called for amendments to the Constitution to ensure important agreements signed by the country are brought to Parliament for ratification, as is the practice in countries like the US.
<b>He said it was unimaginable that an outsider would monitor the use of defence equipment bought by India.</b>
Supporting Advani, his party colleague Sushma Swaraj said besides the Opposition, the officials and CAG were opposed to such agreements and called for scrapping EUMA.
"We are in favour of friendship with US, but not for bullying by them," she added.
Former Foreign Minister and BJP leader Yashwant Sinha wanted to know from Krishna whether US equipment purchased from third party would also be subject to inspections under EUMA.
"We have a right to know what has been agreed with a foreign government. This statement is not worth the paper on which it is written," Sinha added.
Calling EUMA as a surrender to the US, CPI-M leader Basudeb Acharia said, "We did not want this statement. We demand a clarification."
While CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta expressed fears that the agreement would permit US to inspect India's defence establishments, SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav asked if US was India's master (Kya America hamara malik hai?).Sharad Yadav (JD-U) accused the government of mortgaging the country's sovereignty by signing EUMA and alleged that this was a surrender just as the joint statement with Pakistan in Egypt, which
mentions Balochistan, thereby opening a Pandora's Box.
M Thambidurai (AIADMK), opposing EUMA, said the US should be friends and not dictate terms to India. "We should not pledge our sovereignty," he said, asking the government to withdraw from the agreement.
Bharatuhari Mahtab (BJD) said Krishna's statement hid more than what it revealed, and failed to address the members' concerns.
Earlier, raising the issue during Zero Hour, <b>Yashwant Sinha</b> said the agreement was a matter of "grave concern", as it would give the US right to physically inspect equipment sold by it to India.
<b>
"The US will have the right to visit Indian military bases to verify if the equipment, meant for both civilian and military use, were being used for the purpose for which it was sold," he said, charging that the government had succumbed to the US pressure.</b>
Amid cries of "shame, shame" from Opposition benches, Sinha wanted the government to lay the EUMA text on the table of the House and if the pact was not yet ratified, it should not be done.
Giving in to Opposition demands, Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee had assured them that government would make a statement on EUMA in the House later in the day. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Government on Tuesday rejected Opposition charges of comprising national security and sovereignty by going in for the End-user Monitoring Agreement for US defence purchases, declaring that "every thing is very straight."
"Question of bartering of our freedom and sovereignty does not arise. What was being done at the high-end defence purchases is being done now. End-use clause was incorporated earlier," External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told the Lok Sabha, even as almost the entire Opposition, including the BJP and the Left parties, walked out of the House in protest.
Leading the walk-out, Leader of the Opposition L K Advani said the Opposition was dissatisfied with the suo-motu statement, as it failed to address the concerns expressed by members and the move would "send a wrong message" across the country.
Departing from the convention of not giving clarifications on statements in the Lok Sabha, Krishna said he was surprised by the kind of interpretation being given by the Opposition parties to the bilateral understanding and there was "nothing extraordinary" in it. "We are conscious of what we are doing," he added.
"We tried to generalise it (EUMA) for high-end purchases with the US. Everything is very straight. We have done it in the interest of the country," he said.In his suo-motu statement on US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to India, Krishna said, "We have agreed on the end-use monitoring arrangements that will henceforth be referred to in letters of acceptance for Indian procurement of US defence technology and equipment.
"This systematises ad hoc arrangements for individual defence procurements from the USA entered into by previous governments," he added, even as he tabled a copy of the Indo-US joint statement made by him and Clinton yesterday.
Krishna said Clinton's visit has helped to "broaden and deepen" the bilateral relationship and to set the terms of future engagement with India and US.
He said India had also agreed on a new bilateral dialogue architecture within which discussions will continue between the two countries on a wide range of issues.
The minister said India and the US have concluded two important agreements during the visit, one on creation of a Science and Technology Endowment Board and another, a Technical Safeguards Agreement, which will permit the launch of civil or non-commercial satellites containing US components on Indian space launch vehicles.
"During the visit, we held productive and constructive discussion on global issues, situation in our region, and on how to enhance our bilateral partnership," he added. Soon after Krishna's statement, Advani expressed anguish over the Minister not addressing the concerns of the House with regard to EUMA.
Advani also called for amendments to the Constitution to ensure important agreements signed by the country are brought to Parliament for ratification, as is the practice in countries like the US.
<b>He said it was unimaginable that an outsider would monitor the use of defence equipment bought by India.</b>
Supporting Advani, his party colleague Sushma Swaraj said besides the Opposition, the officials and CAG were opposed to such agreements and called for scrapping EUMA.
"We are in favour of friendship with US, but not for bullying by them," she added.
Former Foreign Minister and BJP leader Yashwant Sinha wanted to know from Krishna whether US equipment purchased from third party would also be subject to inspections under EUMA.
"We have a right to know what has been agreed with a foreign government. This statement is not worth the paper on which it is written," Sinha added.
Calling EUMA as a surrender to the US, CPI-M leader Basudeb Acharia said, "We did not want this statement. We demand a clarification."
While CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta expressed fears that the agreement would permit US to inspect India's defence establishments, SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav asked if US was India's master (Kya America hamara malik hai?).Sharad Yadav (JD-U) accused the government of mortgaging the country's sovereignty by signing EUMA and alleged that this was a surrender just as the joint statement with Pakistan in Egypt, which
mentions Balochistan, thereby opening a Pandora's Box.
M Thambidurai (AIADMK), opposing EUMA, said the US should be friends and not dictate terms to India. "We should not pledge our sovereignty," he said, asking the government to withdraw from the agreement.
Bharatuhari Mahtab (BJD) said Krishna's statement hid more than what it revealed, and failed to address the members' concerns.
Earlier, raising the issue during Zero Hour, <b>Yashwant Sinha</b> said the agreement was a matter of "grave concern", as it would give the US right to physically inspect equipment sold by it to India.
<b>
"The US will have the right to visit Indian military bases to verify if the equipment, meant for both civilian and military use, were being used for the purpose for which it was sold," he said, charging that the government had succumbed to the US pressure.</b>
Amid cries of "shame, shame" from Opposition benches, Sinha wanted the government to lay the EUMA text on the table of the House and if the pact was not yet ratified, it should not be done.
Giving in to Opposition demands, Leader of the House Pranab Mukherjee had assured them that government would make a statement on EUMA in the House later in the day. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->