World | India
Foreign office told 'deal is on' as Paris pushes New Delhi
The Indian government yesterday virtually gave the go-ahead to the foreign policy establishment on the India-US nuclear deal even as France joined Russia in putting more pressure on New Delhi to expedite its passage.
- IANS
- Published: 00:07 June 27, 2008
New Delhi/Washington: The Indian government yesterday virtually gave the go-ahead to the foreign policy establishment on the India-US nuclear deal even as France joined Russia in putting more pressure on New Delhi to expedite its passage.
A day after the United Progressive Alliance-Left committee had an unresolved meeting to avert confrontation, a highly placed official stated: "We have been told that the government is politically determined to go ahead with the deal."
The statement was made on a day when a French diplomat also asked India to expedite the deal, pointing out that the proposed agreement with the US was not just a bilateral treaty, but a package deal which will open new industrial avenues with other nations.
Just a week ago, Russia's envoy to India, Vyacheslav Trubnikov, also said that India should sign the deal "sooner than later". Both countries have large domestic nuclear industries, which are eager to sell their wares to energy-deficit India, free from international sanctions on nuclear trade.
Manmohan Singh is travelling to Japan early next month as an outreach partner invited to the G8 summit where he will meet President George Bush as well as other leaders of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) nations including Russia, France, Canada and Germany.
In Washington on Wednesday, US Congressman Gary Ackerman expressed his "strong support" to the 123 agreement. "I look forward to the government of India completing its internal processes so that the US Congress can give final approval to this historic deal," said the influential lawmaker who is visiting India next week at the head of a bipartisan delegation that will meet Singh and other political leaders.
Space scientist
India must finalise the civil nuclear deal with the United States to maintain its reputation as an economic power, says K. Kasturirangan, a renowned space scientist and director of the Bangalore-based National Institute of Advanced Studies.
"This [the nuclear deal] is a most favourable situation and should be fully capitalised. It will allow us to work with a country that has very advanced technology," said Kasturirangan, who was in the United Arab Emirates to attend a conference in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimah.
The former chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation said it was critical for India to finalise the deal. He dismissed fears expressed by some political parties that it would compromise India's nuclear security.
"It is very critical for India to have this deal fructify if we want to have 60,000-100,000 MW of nuclear power in our energy mix in the next 25 to 50 years," he said. The India-US nuclear deal has been stalled by serious differences over it between the ruling United Progressive Alliance and its Leftist allies.
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