India seeks civil nuke energy cooperation from Brazil, South Africa
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New Delhi, July 17 — India today sought civil nuclear energy cooperation from Brazil and South Africa, ahead of talks on a landmark deal with the U.S.
Brazil and South Africa on Tuesday agreed to intensify cooperation in the field of atomic energy with India at a trilateral meeting at Hyderabad House here.
Brazil and South Africa, both key members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), decided to cooperate on ‘unimpeded growth and development of peaceful use of atomic energy, through the supply of technology, equipment and material, under appropriate safeguards’.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, chairing the second trilateral meeting of India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Dialogue Forum, with his counterparts from Brazil, Celso Amorim and South Africa, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, said that all three had also agreed to cooperate through ‘acceptable forward-looking approaches’
“Energy is an area where we are working on. Apart from that we have received cooperation from South Africa in advancing our case in the NSG group for nuclear energy. And energy is one of the important priority areas identified on which the working groups have made their recommendations; which we have referred to in the ministerial communiqué. And I am quite confident that this is one of the subjects that will be discussed at the summit level two,” Mukherjee told reporters at a joint media briefing with his Brazilian and South African counterparts.
His comments came even as Indian and American negotiators are meeting in Washington today and tomorrow for a decisive round of negotiations on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, which if finalised, could let India buy US nuclear reactors and fuel for the first time in 30 years.
Besides energy, the three sides deliberated ways to boost trade and defence cooperation aiming to target a 10 billion dollar trade turnover and has identified 13 areas for cooperation.
Other issues taken up included the need to promote global governance structures, making them “more democratic, representative and legitimate through the participation of developing countries in decision-making fora, pro-active support for the reform of the United Nations with an emphasis on the need to make the Security Council representative of contemporary realities.
On the issue of terrorism, the three ministers reaffirmed that it constituted one of the most serious threats to international peace and security. They condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, and emphasized the need for concerted and coordinated action by the international community. They also reaffirmed their commitment to the full implementation of the measures outlined in the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and other related resolutions.
A commitment was also made to eliminate nuclear weapons and promote nuclear disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation.
The three ministers welcomed the operationalisation of the Peace Building Commission and the Peace Building Fund, and aslso expressed satisfaction of the first year of the functioning of the Human Rights Council.
The Ministers also laid stress on achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as part of global efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger, and added that this initiative required sustained international support.
They also reaffirmed their determination and committment towards establishing the Working Group for the envisaged “India-MERCOSUR-SACU Trilateral Free Trade Agreement (T-FTA) by September 2007.
Brazil floated the idea of the IBSA forum eventually forming a ‘big economic space’ with the South American common market, MERCOSUR, and the Southern African Customs Union (SACU).
“First is the importance of the MERCOSUR-SACU Free Trade Agreement that we should work on and continue to work on. Of course it depends on other countries… they are all sovereign countries we cannot decide for them but we can inspire… and certainly there is very good reception for that in MERCOSUR. And if we are able to create this economic space between India, SACU and MERCOSUR, we will probably be creating the largest economic space in the developing countries and this will be again a big contribution for a multi-polar world, which is a world we meant to see,” said Brazilian foreign minister Celso Amorim.
Tuesday’s meeting also noted that while global trade plays an important role in fostering economic development and fighting off poverty, there were barriers and distortions, particularly in the agricultural sector, which were affecting the efforts of developing countries.
They urged the World Trade Organisation to achieve the necessary agreements and conclude the Doha Round of Negotiations to the satisfaction of all parties. They said that as key members of G-20, they believed that the cornerstone of the current negotiations is the agricultural sector.
The issue of climate change was also a global challenge that needed to be tackled with strong economic, environmental and social instruments, as not doing so could have a major impact on all countries, the ministers’ said in their joint communique. Climate change , they said, is a global phenomenon that required an international response.
They welcomed the successful launching of the International Biofuels Forum in March 2007, and the hosting of an international conference in Brazil in July 2008. They expressed their commitment to trilateral work on biofuels, and also underscored the importance for the granting of intellectual property rights on biological resources, without due compliance to relevant provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Disaster management and regional issues like the situation in the Middle East, West Asia and Afghanistan also figured in Tuesday’s discussions.
South Africa stressed on the need for joint ventures amongst the three countries to best utilize biodiversity for gains in sustainable development.
“We also think… we should look more at trade… but also at having joint ventures. So we need to look at what would need to be done to make sure that we do have successful joint ventures. We need our countries - three of our countries are the countries that are known for mega diversity - and what advantage can we get out of that in terms of tourism, in terms of making sure that we also participate and cooperate in issues that have to do with sustainable development,” said Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, South African foreign minister.
The three sides are reviewing the progress IBSA has made since the first ‘landmark’ Summit held in Brazil last September while also discussing preparations for the second IBSA Summit to be held in South Africa later this year.
Filed by Maria Robson under Multilateral Trade, Development, Climate Change, Energy and Nuclear Safety, Terrorism, United Nations Reform