US assures India it will proceed with nuclear deal

Lalit K Jha

Washington, Mar 11 (PTI) The new Obama Administration
Wednesday assured India that it will proceed with the landmark
Indo-US nuclear deal, signed during George W Bush's tenure,
and said the two countries needed to ramp up cooperation in
counter-terrorism and global issues such as climate change.

Senior State department officials gave the assurance
to Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, who is on a four-day
official visit.

Menon on Monday met Secretary of State Hillary Clinton
and discussed the nuclear deal, counter-terrorism cooperation,
bilateral issues, Sri Lankan conflict and bringing the
situation under control in war-torn Afghanistan.

During his talks with Under-Secretary for Political
Affairs William (rpt William) Burns Wednesday, Menon discussed
the landmark civil nuclear deal and other bilateral issues.

During his meeting with the Secretary of State,
Clinton told Menon that the two countries needed to ramp up
their cooperation in bilateral and global issues including
climate change and counter-terrorism.

"The Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, its current status
and the way forward too was discussed during the meeting
(between Menon and Clinton)," State Department Acting
Spokesman Robert Wood told reporters.

"I think there was a bit of a discussion on the
additional protocol that was just worked out with the IAEA,"
Wood said.

The nuclear deal, which was initiated by Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh and the then US President George W
Bush in 2005, was signed in October 2008 after it was approved
by the Congress.

President Barack Obama had last year indicated that
his administration will take forward the deal.

"It was a very, very good meeting -- very warm
meeting," Woods said referring to the first high level meeting
between the two countries.

The Mumbai terror attack also figured during the talks
Menon had with Clinton, Burns and National Security Adviser
General James Jones.

"I think the way they discussed the issue was the fact
that we've got to do what we can to try to prevent these types
of attacks from happening again."

"I think you can view it in the overall level of
cooperation that both the United Sates and India are involved
in," Wood said.

The spokesman said there are a number of issues where
the US and India can work together.

Clinton and Menon also talked a bit about Afghanistan
and what needs to be done.

"Secretary was very interested in hearing Foreign
Secretary Menon's views on this subject as well as a host of
others," he said.

On Afghanistan, Clinton listened to the Indian views
point and not asking India to do something specific.

"It wasn't so much that we were asking India to do
anything specifically. But the Secretary wanted to hear the
Foreign Secretary's views on the best way forward in
Afghanistan, from the Indian point of view. That was, in
essence, the basis of the discussion," Woods said.

On climate change, Clinton and Menon talked in general
about the importance of working together to try to deal with
the issue of climate change and global warming, said Wood, who
was present during the meeting.

Menon also met key Congressional leaders Jim
McDermott, co-chair of the India caucus at the Congress;
Howard L Berman, Chairman of House Committee on Foreign
Affairs; and Senator Richard Lugar, Ranking Member of the
powerful Senate Committee on International Relations. PTI LKJ
SAK