India, US to sign deal on Friday: State Department
Washington (PTI): India and the US will sign the landmark civilian nuclear agreement on Friday, the State Department announced here on Wednesday, hours before President George W Bush was to sign the legislation on the deal into a law. External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee will sign the agreement with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
"On Friday at 4 o'clock (0130 IST Saturday) the secretary (Rice) will sign with the Indian foreign minister (Pranab) Mukherjee, the India Civil Nuclear Agreement," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters here.
Meanwhile, President Bush will sign the legislation today to enact the nuclear deal, in a ceremony to be held in the East Room of the White House which will highlight the growing strategic relations between world's oldest and largest democracies.
Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the deal on July 18, 2005.
The deal offers India access to US technology and cheap atomic energy in return for allowing International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections of some of its civilian nuclear facilities.
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