WASHINGTON, Feb 23: The United States and India could finalise their nuclear deal by the end of this year, says US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns.
Mr Burns, who was speaking at Washington’s Carnegie Endowment for International Peace with Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, also rejected the suggestion that the United States was preparing India to counter China’s influence in Asia.
At the same briefing, he refused to endorse India’s demand for a permanent seat in the UN Security Council but acknowledged the need for changing the world body to reflect today’s realities.
Mr Burns, who held wide-ranging talks with Mr Menon on Thursday, said India’s concern over fuel supplies and America’s worries over New Delhi’s nuclear tests will not be a hindrance to the nuclear deal.
Mr Menon in his comments also expressed the hope that the deal would be finalised soon and said it’s now for diplomats to work out the details.
“There is no problem with fuel assurances. President Bush provided assurances personally to the Prime Minister of India on the provision of fuel,” Mr Burns said. “We had actually codified this-there is no disagreement between India and the United States on fuel assurances that I am aware of.”
On India’s position on nuclear testing, he said: “We have a right to our respective positions. I don’t think this is going to conflict with our ability to complete the 123 agreement.”
Section 123 of the US Atomic Energy Act of 1954 establishes an agreement for cooperation as a prerequisite for nuclear deals between the US and any other nation. To date, the US has entered into roughly 25 such agreements with various countries.
“We will complete the 123 Agreement. India will go on and for sure complete the IAEA safeguards agreement and we will take that to the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group,” Mr Burns said. “We will be successful at the NSG. I am certain, after having consulted with all the countries in the NSG.”
He hoped that the US Congress will once again endorsed the deal by the end of 2007, adding that he does not expect US lawmakers to have any major objection to the Indo-US nuclear agreement.
Mr Burns said that he has plans to travel to India within the next 30 days as a follow up to his meetings with Mr Menon in Washington.
Responding to a question about preparing India to counter China, Mr Burns said: “It is not possible to contain China, neither it is desirable.”
He said the United States is beginning to work together with China on major issues, such as the North Korean nuclear dispute, the Iranian nuclear dispute and the ethnic cleansing in Sudan, and hoped to further expand this cooperation.
“I don’t think these relationships are mutually exclusive,” said Secretary Menon. “Time has changed … it is no more a zero-sum game”.
He said India believes that “there’s enough space for both China and India to grow.”