India will put future civilian reactors under safeguards: US

United States on Thursday said India had made a "commitment" to put all the future civilian power, thermal and breeder nuclear reactors under international safeguards but left the right to designate the civilian status of any such reactor to New Delhi.

India has "made a commitment that its future civilian breeder reactors will all come under safeguards," US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns told reporters after the two countries reached an agreement on implementation of the July 18 nuclear deal.

"I should also tell you that India has agreed that in the future, all of its civilian power reactors, thermal reactors and breeder reactors, will be placed under international safeguards," said Burns, who has been heading the American side in negotiations on the nuclear deal.

India-US Nuclear Tango

He pointed out that in the first place, India will put a majority of its civil nuclear power reactors under safeguards, phased in between 2006 and 2014.

"Second, in future construction of nuclear power plants, all the civil thermal and breeder reactors will be put under the safeguards. Thirdly, New Delhi will be entering into permanent safeguard arrangements with the IAEA," he said.

President Bush in India

Earlier, Indian official sources said the classification of future nuclear reactors of the country would be its sole decision and there would be no debate on the matter.

US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters separately that India would have the "right to designate the civilian status of any such (future) reactors. That was the resolution of that issue."