Quakers seek to 'can' India nuke deal

Salt shakers
July 2006

Quakers seek to 'can' India nuke deal
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Quakers seek to 'can' India nuke deal
The Friends Committee on National Legislation, a 63-year-old peace lobby, recently delivered tin cans with labels that read “CAN the President’s U.S. - India Nuclear Deal” to key members of the House and Senate. That action is part of a national lobbying campaign to block the deal which includes lobby visits, phone calls, and thousands of e-mails and letters sent to members of Congress from people around the country. The House International Relations Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committees were scheduled to mark up legislation that would advance the U.S.-India nuclear agreement in June.

“The president is asking Congress to write an 'India exception' to existing U.S. laws that ban nuclear collaboration with countries that have not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,” explained FCNL Executive Secretary Joe Volk today. Standing in front of a stack of tin cans before they were delivered to members of Congress, Volk and Rep. Ed Markey (MA) argued that the president’s proposed agreement with India would weaken global efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. “The U.S. should support efforts to block the spread of weapons of mass destruction by refusing to reward countries such as India that build nuclear bombs.”

Congress has the power to block this dangerous agreement, according to FCNL. Before signing this agreement, the president must persuade Congress to change U.S. laws that ban nuclear collaboration with countries that refuse to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). This international agreement, endorsed by 188 nations including the U.S., bans the export of nuclear technology to countries that don’t agree to international inspections of their nuclear programs. The agreement is a cornerstone of global efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. India has refused to sign the NPT and has already built an estimated 100 nuclear weapons. In fact, India diverted U.S. nuclear material intended for civilian energy purposes for its 1974 nuclear test. The most recent Indian nuclear weapons test was in 1998.

For more: FCNL

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