Canada, India to resume civil nuke trade

PanARMENIAN.Net - Canadian uranium and nuclear hardware may soon be shipping to India for the first time in nearly four decades after a deal reached during Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s visit to New Delhi, The Globe and Mail reported.

Canada and India announced they’ve cleared a diplomatic logjam that prevented Canadians from selling nuclear material and technology to the energy-hungry south Asian country.

Mr. Harper, speaking to reporters, didn’t provide answers when asked when nuclear trade might resume or how the deal satisfied Canada’s concerns.

Ottawa ended its nuclear trade with India in 1974 when India tested its first nuclear bomb using plutonium from a Canadian-donated test reactor. The ensuing fallout hampered bilateral relations for decades.

Mr. Harper and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh announced Tuesday, November 6 their countries had concluded difficult negotiations on resuming nuclear trade – talks designed to address Canadian concerns about verifying that any nuclear material supplied is only used for peaceful purposes.