WASHINGTON: The U.S. state department on May 13 indirectly but publicly urged other parties to the missile technology control regime (MTCR) to impose sanctions against the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and Russia’s Glavkosmos over their cryogenic rocket deal.
Being a member of the MICR or a signatory to it “You’ve agreed to the rules, you subscribe to the rules,” state department spokesman Margaret Tutwiler said when asked whether other parties to the MTCR would join the U.S. in imposing sanctions against ISRO and Glavkosmos.
She indicated that even before the formal sanctions “licenses for ISRO have been carefully examined during the licensing process” though in the past fewer than half a dozen exports for dual-use items had been licensed.
She admitted an American private firm had had some conversations months ago to supply a rocket engine to India. She added that the American firm “decided on their Own not to pursue the venture.” Answering a question, she said “when you are a member or a party to the MTCR that in the case of the United States, we have a specific piece of legislation that kicks in, I’m not aware that the other member countries have specific pieces of legislation. But, obviously, being a member of the MTCR or a signatory to it, then obviously you’ve signed up, you’ve agreed to the rules.”
Meanwhile, a prominent U.S. nuclear non-proliferation expert had urged denial of bilateral and multilateral aid of all kinds to both Russia and India, till the latter agrees not to give rocket technology to India and Brazil.
Gary Milhollin, director of the Wisconsin University’s projection nuclear arms committee, told the Gonzalez committee that after getting Russian technology, both India and Brazil would “convert their space rockets freely to ballistic missiles” and India would “mass produce the rocket and supply it to other countries.”
He also criticized the administration for delaying sanctions against Pakistan on the nuclear issue.
“India and Pakistan”, he said, “can each deploy nuclear weapons and are embroiled in a longstanding border dispute. neither country seems to have a clear military doctrine governing the use of nuclear weapons, so if fighting should suddenly break out over Kashmir, both counties would be stepping into the unknown.”
The bill (the Gonzalez bill denies aid to any multilateral institution which allows a proliferating country to be a member) would cut into the free breakfast. India, for example, could not make bombs with one hand and still take money from the World Bank with the other,”
According to its annual report for 1991, the World Bank loaned India more than two billion dollars in 1991 and has loaned India more than 37 billion dollars altogether.
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