US diplomat re-assures India on nuclear deal

NEW DELHI—US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said he is “optimistic” the final version of a landmark civilian nuclear deal before the US Congress will be acceptable to India.
“I’m very optimistic,” Burns told reporters after talks with Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon in the Indian capital, adding “of course, we’re awaiting the outcome of the Congressional process”.
Some of the provisions proposed for the legislation, expected to be voted on by Congress later this week, went against the spirit of the agreement reached between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President George W. Bush in July last year, Indian officials have complained.
Indian critics had expressed fears provisions to inspect atomic facilities could hurt the defence capability of India which has fought three wars with nuclear rival Pakistan.
“We are convinced it will be be within the parameters of the agreement and the US intends to keep all the commitments made to India,” Burns said. The agreement is the centrepiece of India’s new relationship with Washington after decades of Cold War chill and is part of the energy import-dependent nation’s bid to increase its fuel sources to sustain its booming economy.
Under the deal, India, a non-signatory of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), will be given access to civilian nuclear technology in return for placing its atomic reactors under global safeguards.
The pact was seen as controversial because the US Congress had to create a rare exception for India from some of the requirements of the US Atomic Energy Act, which currently prohibits nuclear sales to non-NPT signatories.
In addition, US weapons experts warned forging such an agreement with non-NPT member India could make it harder to enforce rules against nuclear renegade North Korea and set a dangerous precedent for other nations with nuclear ambitions.
Menon said India would wait to see the final version of the bill before commenting on whether it conformed to the deal signed between Bush and Singh, or if amendments made by Congress would lead New Delhi to balk.
Burns, who had not seen the final legislation, said he hoped the Congress, now near the end of its term, would vote on the bill “in the next 36 hours.” Lawmakers from Bush’s Republican party currently control both houses of the US Congress. But they will hand over power early next year to the Democrats who won majorities in both houses in November elections.
The Indian foreign secretary said the two nations had “decided to step up our cooperation in counter-terrorism, an area in which we have clear common interests.”
Burns added: “Both India and the United States face similar threats and we want to be good friends in our counter-terrorism efforts. We also want to work for peace in Nepal and Sri Lanka and stability in Bangladesh.”
“We are trying to look ahead at 2007 which will be a very important year as we want to fulfill the mandate of joint ventures in space, agriculture and intellectual property rights, trade and commerce”.—Agencies