news details |
|
|
| Washington frustrated over impasse in talks | | Indo-US nuclear cooperation deal is delayed | | BL KAK
NEW DELHI, Apr 23: A fresh message has just gone out to Washington, making it clear that the government of India will not be pressured on the US nuclear deal. According to official sources, New Delhi will not be hurried into concluding the much-talked-about nucledar cooperation deal with the United States. Washington has been reported to be frustrated over an impasse in negotiations.
No wonder, Washington has urgency to clinch the deal before campaigning for the 2008 US presidential election gain s momentum. New Delhi, on the other hand, is not prepared to give in to new terms in the pact. Official sources maintained that more talks "are needed". EARLY TIMES was ofically told that both New Delhgi and Washington would have wanted to move faster, but there "are real issues which need to be resolved".
The deal, the main showpiece of a blossoming friendship between India and United States, would allow India to buy US nuclear fuel and equipment and boost power production despite not having signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and tested nuclear weapons. It was approved by the US Congress and signed by President, George W Bush, in December, but US officials have said that they have been frustrated and disappointed since by the pace of progress over a bilateral agreement required to finalise the deal.
While US officials have not elaborated on the differences, Indian officials say conditions such as ending nuclear cooperation if New Delhi conducts another nuclear test, refusal to allow reprocessing of spent fuel, and refusal to assure permanent fuel supplies were major hurdles. Some of the conditions were introduced in the deal by Congress under pressure from a vocal non-proliferation lobby in the United States that has all along been critical of the pact.
Agreeing to them could be politically suicidal for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s communist-backed coalition, which has been weakened by poll losses, Indian analysts say. Top officials of the two countries held talks in Cape Town on the sidelines of a Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meeting last week and progress was “positive”, Indian official sources said. Sources added: “We were able to get some further brackets out but we are still left with some more brackets".
Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon is due to hold more talks in Washington on April 30 and May 1. If differences remained, George Bush and Manmohan Singh may have to give a fresh political push when they are expected to meet on the sidelines of a G8 summit in Germany in June.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
