US still sees problems in nuclear deal with India
Afp, New Delhi
India and the United States still face difficulties before a landmark nuclear deal can be sealed giving the south Asian giant access to previously forbidden technology, a senior US official said yesterday. "There is no question that we've made some progress over the last six months but that much further progress has to be made and that there are some difficulties ahead of us," US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said. "But I've spent 25 years in diplomacy thinking that with goodwill and dedication countries can reach agreement and I have the same feeling about this agreement," Burns told reporters after two days of talks in New Delhi. He met Indian foreign secretary India and the United States still face difficulties before a landmark nuclear deal can be sealed giving the south Asian giant access to previously forbidden technology, a senior US official said yesterday. "There is no question that we've made some progress over the last six months but that much further progress has to be made and that there are some difficulties ahead of us," US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said. "But I've spent 25 years in diplomacy thinking that with goodwill and dedication countries can reach agreement and I have the same feeling about this agreement," Burns told reporters after two days of talks in New Delhi. He met Indian foreign secretary Shyam Saran following an agreement signed between the two countries last July during a visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Washington. Under the terms of the accord, India must separate civilian and military nuclear programs in exchange for advanced civilian nuclear technology. It would place its civilian nuclear reactors under International Atomic Energy Agency inspection. Washington would ask the US Congress to amend laws to allow India access to technology normally reserved for nations that have signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The deal also commits Washington to persuade countries in the 44-member Nuclear Suppliers Group to lift restrictions on India in the civilian nuclear technology trade. Saran last month gave Washington a plan to separate India's civilian and military nuclear facilities, an Indian official said. Some US lawmakers have questioned the wisdom of providing atomic fuel and technology to a nuclear weapons power like India that has refused to sign the NPT. They also see India's response to Iran's suspected efforts to build nuclear weapons as key to the closure of the deal.
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