US optimistic about reprocessing pact, completing n-deal
By IANSWednesday, November 18, 2009
NEW DELHI - US ambassador to India Timothy J. Roemer Wednesday said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama will try to resolve the remaining issues, including a reprocessing pact, to complete the nuclear deal when they hold talks in Washington next week.
“We are optimistic that all these issues will be resolved soon. We are pushing hard,” Roemer told reporters here when asked about the remaining steps required to complete the India-US civil nuclear deal.
The US envoy identified three remaining steps as a civil liability legislation, which the Indian parliament is expected to take up soon, licensing of US nuclear companies to do nuclear business with India, and an agreement to enable New Delhi to reprocess spent fuel through the transfer of appropriate technologies.
“We have made tremendous progress in all these areas,” Roemer said.
Underlining the Obama administration’s commitment to the nuclear deal, the envoy said the Indo-US deal brought a lot of trust and confidence into the bilateral relationship and described it as “a win-win situation” for both countries.
“This is the kind of discussion you are going to see between the two leaders in Washington,” he said. They will discuss how to resolve these issues and complete the historic deal, he stressed.
Manmohan Singh goes to Washington Saturday on a four-day state visit - the first state visit of the Obama administration - that is expected to unveil a new framework of strategic partnership revolving around expanded cooperation in areas ranging from counter-terrorism and climate change to energy and food security.
The two countries last year signed the 123 bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement that allows India to import civil nuclear equipment and fuel after a gap of over three decades.
It’s a win-win situation for both of us, the US envoy said. The conclusion of the nuclear deal will enable the two countries to move from one issues to “four or five big global issues” which will form the cornerstone of their strategic partnership over the next few decades.
The envoy singled out counter-terrorism, education, climate change, green technology and poverty alleviation as the most important global challenges that will bring the two countries together in a broader strategic partnership.
India last month announced two nuclear park sites in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat for American companies.
To facilitate atomic trade, the Obama administration wants an assurance from the Indian government to American nuclear companies that the nuclear equipment will not be misused or proliferated.
According to the US rules, the US department of energy would not be able to issue the mandatory licence - called Part 810 - to American companies for doing any kind of atomic nuclear trade with the country without a letter of assurance.
