The tough terms and conditions for the civilian nuclear engagement with India as laid out in the Henry Hyde Act passed by US Congress in December 2006 and intent of the July 18, 2005 statement are at complete divergence with each other and so it is important to resolve it soon, they say.

Most of the senior scientists did not want to be quoted barring two former chairmen Atomic Energy Commission M R Srinivasan and P K Iyengar.

Srinivasan, Atomic Energy Commission member, said now "it is the US which has to find a way to resolve the issue as the 123 agreement is only the operational arm of Henry Hyde Act".

Asked about Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's recent suggestion on creating a national reprocessing facility for spent fuel as a civilian facility, he said "those issues can wait and they are matter of details. But what is important at this juncture is for the Americans to comply by the July 18, 2005 and March 2, 2006 joint statements and for India it is the Prime Minister's promise on the floor of Parliament".

According to the agreement of March 2, 2006, the reprocessing of spent fuel from foreign plants and Indian plants was based on an 'assay mode' or 'double mode'.

That is not possible without revisions in the Hyde Act, some of the Department of Atomic Energy scientists said.

Iyengar said, "Notwithstanding the fact that in the July 18, 2005 statement the US had recognized India as a developed country with a strategic programme and that the US had to come out with a separation plan for nuclear facilities in March 2006, the US knew that India was very strong”.