More Double Standards

["Anthony D'Costa" <dcosta@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

US winks at sanctions, imports from
               BARC

               By Dinesh C Sharma

               The Times of India News Service

               MUMBAI: Are US sanctions a one-way street? It would seem
so,
               with the US importing high-tech products from some of the
very
               institutions which are on its black list. One such
institution is the
               Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) which hit the US
               embargo charts after the nuclear tests last May.

               BARC has finalised a deal to supply some critical
components
               called ``thorium buttons'' to GE of the US. These are used
in
               non-nuclear generators manufactured by the American
electrical
               giant. ``The number of buttons is large though the value
may be
               small. But what matters is that it is an American order,''
says
               BARC director Anil Kakodkar who is also a member of the
               Atomic Energy Commission.

               In fact, embargo is not a such a dreaded word in BARC.
Living
               with embargoes is a way of life for BARC and other
               establishments of the Department of Atomic Energy. ``We
have
               lived with sanctions since 1974. We developed pressurised
heavy
               water reactors, fast breeder reactors and the Kamini, all
despite
               sanctions. We are not vulnerable to external embargoes. If
a
               supplier refuses to supply, we say thank you,'' points out
Mr
               Kalkodkar.

               When an equipment or component is denied, scientists work
               overtime to develop it in India. For example, the furnace
for the
               Nuclear Fuel Complex in Hyderabad. The US supplied the
               hardware but denied the software. BARC developed the
software
               within a few months. ``Sometimes this process may be time
               consuming. But this is the only way to do it. Self-reliance
is your
               immunity against technology denials,'' feels DAE chairman R
               Chidambaram. In many cases, the embargo vanishes as soon as
               we develop the systems, said a DAE official.

               Oddly, even safety related equipment comes under embargoes.
Mr
               Chidambaram says a he has asked members of the Nuclear
               Suppliers' Group, an offshoot of the NPT signatories' club,
to lift
               the sanctions on these items.

               About nuclear deterrence, he says ``we have developed an
               adequate scientific database to develop devices which you
need for
               a credible nuclear deterrence. We tested a dozen ideas and
               systems and all of them were successful. The sub- kiloton
test has
               given us the capability to carry out sub-critical tests,
should we
               need such tests''.


------------------
Anthony P. D'Costa
Associate Professor
Comparative International Development
University of Washington
1900 Commerce Street
Tacoma, WA 98402, USA

Phone: (253) 692-4462
Fax :  (253) 692-5612