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India says it is not against US-Pakistan nuclear deal
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has indicated that India would not mind the United States entering a civil nuclear deal with Pakistan.
- ANI
- Published: 00:02 October 13, 2008
Washington: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has indicated that India would not mind the United States entering a civil nuclear deal with Pakistan.
At a press conference after signing the bilateral 123 Agreement with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday night, Mukherjee said: "We believe every country has the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes."
Mukherjee's statement was in response to a question asked about Islamabad's demand for an India-like nuclear deal with the US. "We will like to encourage civil nuclear cooperation for peaceful use of nuclear energy," said Mukherjee.
"India is determined to build good relations with Pakistan and is trying to resolve all outstanding issues between them through their composite dialogue process," said Mukherjee in reply to another question about Pakistan's apprehensions about the nuclear deal.
The foreign minister further said that India's commitment to non-proliferation is second to none while recalling that on September 5 he had reiterated New Delhi's commitment to a unilateral voluntary moratorium to nuclear tests declared in 1998 after India conducted five tests at Pokhran.
India and the United States signed the 123 Agreement in Washington on Friday night, paving the way for nuclear commerce between the two countries.
External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice formally signed the landmark bilateral nuclear cooperation accord.
Rice remark: Ties improving
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that India and Paksitan have come a long way since escalated tensions in the subcontinent had led to a war-like situation in 2001.
"Relations have improved a lot. They've opened lines of communication in Kashmir, they've opened trade and bus traffic. There's still a lot of clashes along the Line of Control that separates Pakistanis and India in the region of Kashmir. But it is a lot better situation than it was in 2001 and 2002," Rice said.
Rice also cited External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's Islamabad visit soon after the swearing in of the Yousuf Raza Gilani government as a sign of improving relations between India and Pakistan.
"Relations between India and Pakistan have been improving for some time. They were improving under President Musharraf. And one of the first places that my Indian colleague, the Foreign Minister Mukherjee, went was Pakistan right after the Pakistani government was sworn in," she said.
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