The Hindu : Front Page : Accord possible by year-end: Rice

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Friday, Jun 29, 2007
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Accord possible by year-end: Rice

Nuclear deal is “the first fundamental pillar” of India-United States relations

— Photo: PTI

GIFT FROM INDIA: U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice receives a basket of Indian mangoes from Sanjaya Baru, Media Adviser to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, at the 32nd annual conference of USIBC in Washington on Wednesday.

Washington: Projecting the civilian nuclear deal as “the first fundamental pillar” of India-U.S. relations, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has expressed confidence that the “win-win” agreement will be finalised by the year-end.

123 Agreement

She pointed out that negotiations on the deal were difficult but hoped the bipartisan support for it would help the 123 Agreement, the operational pact of the deal, go through Congress.

“This is a huge step forward. We’re not quite there yet. But with will and determination and more hard work to do, I am certain that we will reach [a] final agreement and be in a position to complete this deal by the end of the year,” said Ms. Rice, who will be visiting India in about a month.

Win-win situation

“I think that this is a win-win (situation) if ever there were one,” she said, addressing the 32nd anniversary celebrations of the United States India Business Council (USIBC) on Wednesday.

Terming the civilian nuclear deal as one of the “keys to the partnership,” she said “the historic agreement” would lay “really the first fundamental pillar for a U.S.-India relationship that no one could have imagined many years ago.”

Ms. Rice said the agreement would open new doors of cooperation in the nuclear field.

“It was only a matter of time before two leaders, who were visionary enough, realised that they had to break this particular logjam so that the U.S.-India relationship can flourish,” Ms. Rice said, adding “and I myself am dedicated to getting it done and we need to get it done by the end of the year.”

“We have strong commitment on the part of both governments because we have strong commitment on the part of our leaders [to finalise the deal],” the U.S. Secretary of State underlined.

Ms. Rice said that when President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh “went down this road of trying to break the barriers to civil nuclear cooperation, they knew that it would be historic.”

The two leaders “knew that it would be path-breaking and therefore difficult.

Had this been easy, it would have been done a long time ago,” she said.

Very good record

“We are talking about bringing into the international framework for non-proliferation a country that has a very good record on non-proliferation,” she said.

“We are talking about bringing into a framework that would allow civil nuclear energy cooperation a nation that has significant energy needs and would like to meet those energy needs while reducing its reliance on carbon-based sources of energy,” Ms. Rice said.

“It is possible and when we have done this, we will open even more doors in business and science, in agriculture and development, for energy and the environment, and of course, perhaps most importantly, to help strengthen and safeguard international security” she said. She said the U.S. wanted it to be done in a way that will make it possible for American companies to “become a vehicle for the realisation of civil nuclear power in India.” — PTI

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