WASHINGTON, June 28: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says she is certain that the US and India will finalise a historic deal to share nuclear technology by the end of this year.

The deal, which will allow India to receive civilian nuclear reactors and fuel from the US, was initiated in July 2005 and has also been approved by the US Congress. But it ran into trouble because of a congressional condition that calls for halting all nuclear supplies to India if it conducts another nuclear test. India is unwilling to accept this condition.

Ms Rice, however, told an Indo-US business meeting in Washington on Wednesday that the nuclear pact was one of the “keys” to the bilateral partnership that was “a win-win” for both nations. She said it was “certain” that they “will be in a position to complete this deal by the end of the year”.

“This is a huge step forward. We're not quite there yet. But with will and determination and more hard work to do, I am certain that we will reach final agreement and be in a position to complete this deal by the end of the year”, Ms Rice said. She said: “I think that this is a win-win if ever there were one.”

She said that the historic agreement was “really, the first fundamental pillar for a US-India relationship that no one could have imagined many years ago.”

Ms Rice said that wrapping up this agreement will open new doors of cooperation for us in the nuclear field.

“It’s only a matter of time before two leaders, who are visionary enough, realised that they had to break this particular logjam so that the US-India relationship can flourish,” Ms Rice said, adding that she was also dedicated to getting it done by the end of the year.

“It is possible and when we have done this, we will open even more doors in business and science, in agriculture and development, for energy and the environment, and of course, perhaps most importantly, to help strengthen and safeguard international security,” she said.

Ms Rice, who was addressing the 32nd anniversary celebrations of the US-India Business Council, said ties between her country and India will have a positive impact on the entire South Asian region.

The US-India Business Council is comprises 250 of the largest US companies investing in India, joined by two dozen global Indian companies, whose common aim is to strengthen commercial relations and deepen two-way trade.

The USIBC has offices in Washington, New York, San Francisco, and New Delhi.