Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

We have not yet made a decision in respect of that deal, nor should we until the final version of it emerges. As the Deputy is aware, a special representative of the Prime Minister of India met me, and also the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, and I forcefully put to him my views on behalf of Ireland, as a member of the New Agenda Coalition and indicated that this is an issue about which we are gravely concerned. We have not made a decision on the deal because we must wait to see what will be the implications. We are concerned that it will have implications for the non-proliferation treaty, NPT. Much work remains to be done. I understand that the process to put the deal through the US Congress has not yet been decided and that it will probably be next year before anything happens in this regard. It would be premature to made a decision until we discover exactly what is involved.

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