WASHINGTON, April 21: The United States wants “political level” talks with India for removing differences over a nuclear deal the two sides are trying to conclude before a change of government in Washington.

“We still have faith that we’re going to be able to get this agreement done, but we’re at a stage in these particular negotiations where we think we need to raise the level of dialogue to a political level,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told a briefing in Washington.

The US and India are also launching a diplomatic offensive later this month to remove the differences that they fear may jeopardize a landmark nuclear agreement between them.

Indian Foreign Secretary Shiv Shanker Menon will be in Washington on April 30 and May 1 for talks with Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, the chief US negotiator for the nuclear deal.

Mr Burns will visit India later in the month for further talks.

Mr McCormack said that Mr Menon and Mr Burns are going to explore ways to “energise the discussions” so that the deal can be implemented.

“They’re going to discuss the India civil nuclear deal, the state of the negotiations, and say that there’s probably some frustration on the part of the Administration as well as Congress on the pace of these negotiations,” Mr McCormack told a briefing in Washington.

Experts from the two countries met in Cape Town, South Africa, earlier this week but failed to remove the outstanding differences, prompting Washington to request the upcoming higher level talks.

Asked to disclose the cause of US frustration with India, the State Department spokesman said: “The Indian government has raised a series of issues in these negotiations concerning our laws and – you know, suggesting solutions that would require us to change our laws and we’re not going to do that, we can’t do that.”

Instead, he urged India to set aside the divisive issues and focus on areas where the two governments can negotiate and come to agreement.

“Let’s define and work on those issues that we can actually negotiate on … this is an implementing agreement that itself would also have to be approved by Congress, but we’re not willing to consider at this point any further changes to our laws.”

Last year, both chambers of the US Congress overwhelmingly endorsed the proposed nuclear agreement but the negotiations over its implementation have hit the rocks.

The deal has drawn fire from some US lawmakers and non-proliferation advocates who argue that it undermines efforts to halt the spread of nukes.

The deal has also run into trouble in India from lawmakers.

New Delhi wants the Bush administration to rewrite key elements of the law approved by the US Congress last year. Indian negotiators are contesting a clause which states that the US would withdraw civil nuclear fuel supplies and equipment if India breached its unilateral moratorium on nuclear testing.

Despite the US frustration, McCormack said Washington was not “questioning the Indian government’s goodwill and good faith” on the issue and expressed optimism “that these negotiations will ultimately yield an agreement” well before the end of the Bush presidency in January 2008.