NEW DELHI: India said on Thursday that the bilateral civilian nuclear energy deal with the United Statescould be concluded after the U.S. Congress passed appropriate legislation, enabling full civilian nuclear energy cooperation between the two sides.

Providing an official account of the three-day talks between India and the U.S., an External Affairs Ministry spokesman said that Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran had met his counterpart Nicholas Burns in London in the end of May to review the progress.

"The Indian side had provided its counter-draft of the `123 agreement' ... for consideration of the U.S. side. This was in response to an initial draft text that had been handed over to the Indian side during the Foreign Secretary's earlier visit to Washington in March 2006," he said.

"The Indian counter-draft takes as its starting point, the Indo-U.S. joint statement of July 18, 2005 and the elements contained in India's separation plan, which was laid on the table of the Houses of Parliament on May 11."

As a result of the discussions, the officials now had a "much better appreciation" of their legal and political positions. "Pending issues will now require internal consultations on both sides to jointly formulate a draft, which both sides must approve of."

The two sides have agreed to meet at an early date once their internal consultations have been completed, he added.

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