The Hindu : National : Can’t ask India to end ties with Iran, says Lieberman

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 13, 2007
ePaper

National

National

Can’t ask India to end ties with Iran, says Lieberman

Joseph Lieberman

NEW DELHI: A senior American Senator on Sunday said no one can “practically or reasonably” ask India to disengage from its relationship with Iran but New Delhi should use its good offices to convince Tehran against backing extremists in Iraq.

He was asked by journalists about the U.S. asking India to “diminish” ties with Iran.

Senator Joesph Lieberman, who met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday, expressed confidence that the civil nuclear deal would be confirmed by both countries after overcoming debate and dissent.

“There will be debate, there will be some dissent but ultimately it will be confirmed by both countries,” he said here when asked about opposition to the nuclear deal.

On his meeting with Dr. Singh, Mr. Lieberman said the Prime Minister told him that the draft 123 agreement, to operationalise the nuclear deal, was negotiated over a period of time and “not pulled out of the hat.”

A section of people believed that India yielded to the U.S. on several aspects, while in the U.S., many in the Congress and a section of the media were of the opinion that Washington had yielded to New Delhi.

“This sounds like a good agreement,” he said.

“India, in its commercial relationship with Iran, does not fall on the wrong side of the US sanctions,” he said, noting some allies of the U.S. in Europe and Asia had good relations with Iran. — PTI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National