MUMBAI — India will be closely watching the United States as to how that country would make changes in its laws and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) regime with regard to dismantling restrictions and lifting embargo on civil nuclear technology before it starts reciprocating the segregation process of civilian and military nuclear facilities.

This process follows the historic Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement which Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and President George W Bush signed last month in Washington.

"The act of identification and segregation of the civilian and military nuclear facilities in India will be taken up in a phased manner, and is going to be purely on reciprocal basis. But before we take up take any reciprocal steps, we have to closely watch what happens to the US laws on restrictions and lifting of embargo and the Nuclear Suppliers Group front," Chairman, Atomic Energy Dr Anil Kakodkar told PTI in an interview. The decision on the segregation process would be purely an Indian decision and "every time we do, we will take totality into account. We introduced enough safeguards to protect Indian interests," Kakodkar said. The very fact that there is a recognition that India is a responsible country, with advanced nuclear technology, "there should be no question of any proliferation concern on full civil nuclear cooperation with India," Kakodkar said.

Elaborating the differentiation, he said the civilian facilities are those which are identified to be not of any national security significance. In identifying civilian nuclear facilities, "we have to determine that they are of no national security significance and we will do this in a phased manner," he emphasised.

"The decision on the method of segregation will be purely Indian and not dictated by anyone. It is clear that it would not be a one-time job but will be determined as per national requirements that prevail from time to time," Kakodkar clarified. In the light of evergrowing energy requirements of India, "we are looking for external inputs as an additionality to existing and growing indigenous N-programme.

"Any external cooperation that is forthcoming will be put under specific safeguards. This is consistent with our national policy," he said. Kakodkar said there is a recognition about India that "we are fundamentally strong in research and nuclear technology development."

There is also growing awareness that India and China are two most populous and fastest growing large economies and if they have to carry out business as usual, there would be growing concern for increasing global warming situations. Nuclear energy has been now considered as a clean technology, he said.