Hillary Clinton - Nuclear Deal Will Be Completed By U.S.  Hillary Clinton |
India and the United States Monday reaffirmed their commitment to the bilateral civil nuclear deal, with India providing two sites for nuclear parks to be set up by American companies. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has also been invited to visit the US in November.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton conveyed President Barack Obama's invitation to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit the US. "As a sign of the importance of the relationship to the United States, I was pleased to extend an invitation to Prime Minister Singh from President Obama who invited him on Nov 24 for the first state visit of our new administration," Clinton said during a press conference here.
On the second last day of her five-day visit to India, Clinton met with her Indian counterpart, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna for talks in Hyderabad House, after which they jointly addressed the press.
Clinton said that she has affirmed the Obama administration's strong commitment to completing all the remaining elements of our civil nuclear deal.
The statement would certainly clear India's trepidation that the statement by the G-8 in Italy that enrichment and nuclear reprocessing technology should not be passed on to non-signatories of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, would pose an obstacle in the implementation of the civil nuclear deal.
“We have just completed a civil nuclear deal. If it done through proper channels and safeguarded, then it is appropriate”, she asserted.
Clinton also said that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had told her that sites for two nuclear parks by American companies have been “approved by the government”.
“These parks will advance the aims of the US India civil nuclear agreement facilitating billions of dollars in US reactor exports and create jobs in both countries, as well as generate much needed energy for the Indian people,” she said.
The US secretary hoped that India will soon implement a civil liability legislation to “enable our US companies to seize these important opportunities”.
Earlier, US and India reached three agreements to help pave the way for increased parntership in defence, space and science and technology.
The agreements include one for end-user monitoring, which Clinton, said would lead to “greater defence cooperation”. Besides, a technology safeguards agreement to help commercial partnerships in space and a science and technology deal were also finalised.
