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US president's visit to India shifts from "nuclear" to "economic"

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Feb 16, IRNA
India-US-Nuclear
US President George W Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will not initial a specific nuclear energy agreement during the US president's visit starting March 1.

Instead, both New Delhi and Washington have resigned themselves, in the face of stiff opposition here, to "review" progress, if any, during the visit and wait for a better day, although informed sources said that the delay now could well spell the "natural death" of this particular agreement.

The focus of the US president's visit has been shifted from "nuclear" to "economic."
Highlights of his three-day stay in India will now be the visit to an agriculture university and a knowledge park in Hyderabad.

It is not very clear if he will be signing any major agreements, and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FICCI) are silent about the meetings, if any, being planned with US business delegations either before or during the presidential visit.

US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, who was due to visit India for further discussions on the nuclear agreement and preparations for the Bush visit, has delayed his arrival. It is still not known whether he will be coming here next week shortly before the President arrives, with official sources only saying "we do not know" when they were asked, said a report published in a leading English daily, Asian Age, here today.

The dates of the presidential visit to India and Pakistan are yet to be announced officially, although he is expected to arrive in New Delhi on the evening of March 1. He will go through "routine" activities the next day.

Official sources now claim that it was a misconception to presume that there was to be a signing ceremony as the original civilian nuclear agreement had spoken only of a "review."
The sources said that by March 1 "we should have an idea where the process is going."
Earlier, US and Indian government officials had both expressed optimism that progress on the nuclear agreement that had only been part of a larger statement of intent by both President Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would be sufficient to allow a specific deal to be initialed by both leaders during the US president's visit next month to give a firm shape to the commitment.

This is not expected to happen now following strong opposition from across the political spectrum in the country as well as major reservations voiced by Indian nuclear scientists.

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