The Hindu : Front Page : U.S. hopes to see nuclear agreement to fruition

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Wednesday, Aug 22, 2007
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U.S. hopes to see nuclear agreement to fruition

WASHINGTON: Notwithstanding the Left parties’ warning to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government not to operationalise the India-United States nuclear deal, Washington on Tuesday said it hoped to move forward and see the agreement to fruition.

“...We don’t have any specific comments on discussions within India about the agreement. This is a determination for Indians to make and we are going to be working with them to hopefully see this to fruition,” acting State Department spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos told a press briefing here when asked for his reaction to the opposition in India and whether this was justified.

Mr. Gallegos said this was “an important agreement” that “we believe will help India reduce its energy shortfall and will allow Indians to gain access to advanced technologies that will improve their daily lives.” “So we’re working toward that end, coordinating with the Indians, coordinating with our Congress. And we hope to move forward on it,” he added.

To a question on the implications to the nuclear deal should India test a nuclear weapon, Mr. Gallegos said: “I think Sean [McCormack] spoke on that the other day ... it’s on the record ... I am going to go ahead and leave it at that. I don’t really have anything different or additional to add to that.”

Mr. McCormack on August 14 set off a storm in India when he said that in the event of the country conducting a nuclear test, the U.S. had the right to seek return of all material supplied under the 123 agreement. “As I understand it, the proposed 123 agreement has provisions in it that in an event of a nuclear test by India, then all nuclear cooperation is terminated as well as there is provision for return of all materials, including reprocessed material covered by the agreement,” Mr. McCormack said. — PTI

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