WASHINGTON, Oct 18: US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns leaves Washington on Wednesday for talks aimed at finalizing an India-US deal which will allow India to acquire nuclear reactors from the United States.

The State Department’s number three official arrives in New Delhi on Friday to discuss the modalities for implementing the deal — signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to the White House on July 18 — with Indian External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh and Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, however, said that the visit is much wider in its scope. Mr Burns will ‘further our historic partnership to promote democratic values, combat terrorism, support economic growth, expand bilateral activities and commerce, and achieve peace and stability in the region and beyond’, she told reporters in Washington.

During Mr Burns’ visit, Indian officials are likely to take up the issue of the sale of 77 F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, an issue that is bothering New Delhi.

Mr Burns will be in India soon after preliminary consultations in the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group on the possibilities of modifying the rules to allow India to receive nuclear reactors from member states for non-military use.

US Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Non-Proliferation Stephen Rademaker and US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca are likely to make a forceful case for waivers in favour of India at the NSG meeting in Vienna on Tuesday.

The US is urging the NSG to amend the rules that forbid nuclear cooperation with a country, such as India, that has not yet signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Mr Burns’ visit to India comes at a significant juncture as the non-proliferation lobby in the US is becoming increasingly vociferous a month ahead of the crucial final vote in the International Atomic Energy Agency on the Iranian nuclear issue.

India last month voted in favour of a European Union resolution in the IAEA moved by Britain, France and Germany and backed by the US for referring Iran to the UN Security Council for its alleged violations of the NPT.

Soon after the vote, US President George W Bush called Prime Minister Singh and assured him of his resolve to implement the India-US civil nuclear deal.

India’s vote backing the EU resolution was also hailed by top US legislators who had demanded that New Delhi support the US move against Iran if it wants nuclear cooperation from Washington.