World | USA
India and US all set to seal landmark nuclear deal
With India's concerns over India-US civil nuclear deal met, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are all set to sign the bilateral 123 pact to seal the landmark accord.
- IANS
- Published: 23:53 October 10, 2008
Washington: With India's concerns over India-US civil nuclear deal met, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are all set to sign the bilateral 123 pact to seal the landmark accord.
Mukherjee and Rice were to ink the 'Agreement for Cooperation between the Government of India and the Government of the United States of America concerning Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy' in the Benjamin Franklin Room of State Department at 4pm on Friday (midnight UAE time).
The two had failed to sign the agreement to resume nuclear commerce after 34 years, when Rice visited New Delhi last weekend with India concerned over a couple of riders relating to fuel supply assurances and reprocessing in the legislation approving the deal.
The landmark accord envisioned by US President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on July 18, 2005 will end the ban on nuclear trade since India conducted a 'peaceful' nuclear explosion in May 1974.
The Indian minister is coming to sign the bilateral agreement just two days after Bush signed a historic enabling law with an assertion that it does not change US commitments on nuclear fuel assurances and reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel.
"By undertaking new cooperation on civil nuclear energy, India will be able to count on a reliable fuel supply for its civilian reactors," said Bush as he signed into law the Congressional approval of what he called a "big deal" at a White House ceremony on Wednesday.
An accompanying presidential statement made it more explicit.
Terms
"The legislation does not change the terms of the 123 Agreement as I submitted it to the Congress," said Bush. It simply enabled him to bring the bilateral agreement "into force and to accept on behalf of the United States the obligations contained in the agreement".
"The agreement grants India advance consent to reprocessing which will be brought into effect upon conclusion of arrangements and procedures for a dedicated reprocessing facility under IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] safeguards," he said.
"In addition, the legislation does not change the fuel assurance commitments that the US government has made to the government of India, as recorded in the 123 Agreement," Bush maintained.
Share this article
Related Articles
News Editor's choice
-
King Tut's tomb set for project
Observers note strange brown spots marring lavish wall paintings
-
Thieves caught with Dh6m in gold
Twenty-five gold bars were stolen from the luggage of a Malaysian tradesman
-
What to expect at the Dubai Airshow
We preview what types of aircraft to expect at the Dubai Airshow
