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US and Indian diplomats laud nuclear deal

(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-10-05 10:10

NEW DELHI, India -- The top American and Indian diplomats lauded a new agreement that opens up US nuclear trade with India, but they stopped short of signing the deal, which some private US arms control experts say is likely to speed up nuclear arms competition in Asia.

Some US officials had said as recently as Friday that they expected US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her Indian counterpart, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, to sign the agreement Saturday. The US Senate on Wednesday approved legislation authorizing President George W. Bush to make the deal.

At a joint news conference with Mukherjee on Saturday, Rice said no substantive issues stand in the way of signing the deal; she said it was only a matter of waiting for a series of administrative steps by the US Congress to transmit enabling legislation to the White House for Bush to sign.

"We don't have open issues" with the Indians, Rice said.

Mukherjee said his government was satisfied with the progress and was awaiting final action in Washington.

"Once this process is complete we'll be in a position to sign," Mukherjee said.

Rice later met with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Speaking to reporters aboard her plane en route from Washington, Rice said she expects the civil nuclear cooperation agreement will trigger an across-the-board expansion of American-Indian relations.

Rice said only administrative, not substantive, matters were delaying the signing of the agreement.

Once Bush signs the authorizing legislation, he is required to certify that the agreement with India is consistent with US obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, designed to limit the spread of nuclear weapons. He must also certify that it is US policy to cooperate with international efforts to further restrict transfers of technology related to uranium enrichment and the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.

The bilateral agreement on civil nuclear cooperation allows US businesses to begin selling nuclear fuel, technology and reactors to India in exchange for safeguards and UN inspections at India's civilian, but not military, nuclear plants.

Critics in India argue the constraints compromise their country's right to conduct nuclear bomb tests.

Even without a signing ceremony during her visit, Rice said, "I'm going to draw a line under this" deal "one way or another because it's time to put the historic agreement, to say that that's done and move on to what else we can do" to strengthen and broaden the relationship.

The White House considers the deal a crowning achievement of Bush's second term in office.

It could, however, turn out to be the last major diplomatic achievement of a presidency that is struggling in its final months on a number of fronts, including a setback in relations with Russia and the prospect of a breakdown in a nuclear agreement with North Korea.

India built its nuclear bombs outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which it refuses to sign. It has faced a nuclear trade ban since its first atomic test in 1974.