India and U.S. one step away from implementing the nuke deal

Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Oct 10 (PTI) India and the U.S. are one step away from operationalisation of their civil nuclear deal as the stage is set to seal the historic 123 Agreement after New Delhi's concerns over certain provisions in the U.S. Congressional legislation on the nuclear deal were addressed.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice are due to ink the
bilateral instruments relating to the "Agreement for
Cooperation between the Government of India and the Government
of the United States of America concerning Peaceful Uses of
Nuclear Energy" that will take care of the final
administrative aspects.

The signing ceremony is scheduled to take place in the
Benjamin Franklin Room of the State Department at 4 PM on
Friday (1.30 AM on Saturday).

The formal signing ceremony that could not take place
during Rice' visit to New Delhi last week due to India's
concerns on certain riders in the U.S. Congressional
legislation on the nuclear deal, is being held after U.S.
President George W Bush assured New Delhi that the new law
makes no changes on fuel supply assurance commitments or the
terms of the 123 agreement.

India's Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs(C.C.P.A.)
also gave the go ahead to Mukherjee so sign the agreement
after approving the pact.

Signing the bill into law at a ceremony in the White
House on Wednesday, Bush said "the bill I sign today approves
the 123 agreement I submitted to Congress and establishes the
legal framework for that agreement to come into effect."

In an apparent attempt to assuage India's
apprehensions, Bush said that "the legislation does not change
the fuel assurance commitments that the U.S. Government has
made to the Government of India as recorded in the 123
agreement.

"The agreement also grants India 'advance consent to
reprocessing'-- which will be brought into effect upon the
conclusion of arrangements and procedures for a dedicated
reprocessing facility under International Atomic Energy Agency
(I.A.E.A.) safeguards," Bush said in a statement.

Bush had also said that the passage of the
legislation by the Congress marked "another major milestone in
achieving the vision that Prime Minister Singh and I set forth
on July 18, 2005, to transform the relationship between our
two countries and to establish a "strategic partnership."

"This Act will strengthen the relationship between
the United States and India and deliver valuable benefits to
both nations," Bush said.

The nuclear deal, initiated by Bush and Singh on July
18, 2005 will end the ban on nuclear trade since India
conducted a nuclear test in May 1974.

Describing Bush's signing of the legislation into law
a "new beginning" in bilateral ties, Indian Ambassador to
U.S., Ronen Sen, said New Delhi's concerns on certain
provisions of the bill have been addressed.

"Absolutely", remarked Sen when asked by reporters if
the U.S. President's address at the signing of the legislation
met all of India's concerns.

"I think the statement (of Bush) speaks for itself... all
concerns that have been expressed (by those) who fear the
implications of certain elements of the legislation. All those
have been met," Sen said in response to a query on nuclear
fuel supply assurances. PTI AKJ
RKM

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