UNCLAS DUBLIN 000292

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ENRG KNNP PREL IN EI
SUBJECT: IRELAND AWAITING INFORMATION ON U.S.-INDIA NUCLEAR
COOPERATION

REF: A. STATE 42857


B. STATE 34761

C. DUBLIN 1334 AND PREVIOUS

(SBU) Ireland looks forward to the USG briefing on the
U.S.-India nuclear cooperation initiative at the March 22-23
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) Consultative Group meeting as
critical to consideration of possible exceptions to NSG
Guidelines in India's case, according to Therese Healy,
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) First Secretary for
Disarmament and Nonproliferation. Healy noted that the GOI
appreciated the USG briefing on the initiative at the October
2005 NSG Consultative Group meeting, but still sought answers
to questions that the USG could not address fully at the
time. These questions covered: the precise framework of
nuclear safeguards envisaged for India; the time frame over
which India would meet its commitments under the initiative;
the legal relationship between the initiative and the 1995
NPT decision (reaffirmed in 2000) to allow suppliers to enter
into peaceful nuclear cooperation only with those states
accepting full IAEA safeguards; and, the challenges
anticipated in securing U.S. Congressional support for the
initiative. (Healy had raised these questions in previous
discussions on U.S.-India nuclear cooperation, per ref C.)
She pointed out that detailed information in response to
these questions was necessary to allay Irish Government
concerns about the ramifications of the U.S.-India initiative
for international nonproliferation efforts.
KENNY