The Hindu : National : Differences remain on nuclear deal implementation: Burns

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 24, 2006

National

National

Differences remain on nuclear deal implementation: Burns

Amit Baruah

Efforts on to clinch deal before Bush visit, says the U.S. Under-Secretary of State

NEW DELHI: Visiting U.S. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns on Thursday said that differences with India on implementing the July 18, 2005 civil nuclear deal remained to be sorted out.

Mr. Burns, who held talks with Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran at the latter's South Block office here, told presspersons: "We simply don't know whether we will have an agreement before President [George W.] Bush's visit. We are trying our best."

"Both of us want to complete these negotiations but there are still some remaining differences between us and those differences need to be worked out," he said in between talks with Mr. Saran.

He described his exchanges with the Foreign Secretary as "good." The fast-breeder programme, the bedrock of India's strategic weapons programme, is the bone of contention between the two sides.

Informal parleys

On its part, the External Affairs Ministry only said there had been an informal exchange of views on the civil nuclear deal. "A more detailed discussion is expected to be held on Friday during the formal meeting of the Joint Working Group," it said.

On Wednesday, the U.S. President said he would "continue to encourage" India to produce a "credible and transparent plan" to separate its civilian and military nuclear programmes. In an address to the Asia Society, Mr. Bush added that implementing the agreement "will take time" and patience from both the countries.

Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma, meanwhile, informed the Rajya Sabha that the U.S. had not imposed "any new conditions" for concluding the civil nuclear deal between the two countries.

"[The] Government has made it clear to the U.S. that both countries need to work in the framework of the July 18, 2005 joint statement and in strict conformity with the reciprocal commitments contained therein," Mr. Sharma said.

According to him, India was engaged in "difficult and complex" talks with Washington. "The sensitive nature of the ongoing talks and the internationally accepted practices of diplomatic negotiations are being taken into account in approaching this issue," Mr. Sharma added.

"Now or never"

A senior Indian official told this correspondent that it was "now or never" as far as implementation of the deal was concerned. Lashing out at the Indian scientific lobby, the official said New Delhi would never get another an American President so committed to the nuclear deal.

While Mr. Burns is here on Friday as well, Mr. Bush will hold official meetings in India on March 1.

Separately, M.K. Rasgotra, Convenor of the National Security Council Advisory Board, said the problem in implementing the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal was that Washington was shifting the goalposts.

Addressing a seminar, Mr. Rasgotra saidreports that views of Department of Atomic Energy chief, Anil Kakodkar, who has openly advocated keeping the country's fast-breeder programme outside safeguards, and that of the Government were at loggerheads were not true.

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