Washington: The United States has said it intends to be “very supportive” of India at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) meeting and help convince other countries that the Indo-US nuclear deal was in everyone’s interest.
Washington has also made it clear that the deal does not violate the letter and spirit of the Hyde Act under which the US has the right to stop nuclear cooperation and recall fuel as well as technology if India undertakes a nuclear test.
“We are partners with India. This is not an antagonistic relationship. We are friends. We work very closely together. We have a sense that we are responsible for the agreement together, move it forward together,” US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns told a group of journalists.
Noting that the US was “very pleased” with the agreement, he said “it is in our unqualified national interest and I believe it is in India’s too. We are optimistic that we are going to be able to go through the next couple of steps towards a final vote in the US Congress.”
Burns, who led the American side in the tough negotiations, hoped that the agreement will get bipartisan support when it comes for voting by Congress by December this year.
The Bush Administration also hoped that the India-IAEA safeguards agreement and “action” of the NSG could be accomplished by this autumn.
