NUCLEAR-SRINIVASAN 2

Asked about former AEC Chief Homi Sethna backing
Santhanam's claim, Srinivasan said he (Sethna) was his "boss
and commands a great deal of respect from all of us. He has
also expressed it. (One has to) take note of all these things,
definitely."

While calling for examination, Srinivasan said he did not
want the government to put all details of the test in the
public domain as certain specific issues could be
confidential.

But the government can get the point raised by Santhanam
examined by "people who are in the business (nuclear and
security apparatus), by experts who are in a position to
understand this business."

Srinivasan said he had chaired the meeting last month
where Santhanam made the claim that the thermonuclear device
(hydrogen bomb) "underperformed" and the test was a "fizzle",
which created a furore.

Srinivasan said that in his concluding remarks in that
meeting he had stated that "I (Srinivasan) still preferred to
go by the assessment made by Dr Chidambaram and Kalam that
the test was successful and we (India) obtained necessary
information to enable us to go ahead and design and build
nuclear weaponry".

"As of now, I prefer to go with the official position
that the claims of Dr Chidambaram and Kalam are valid," he
said. (More) PTI