Indo-US nuke talks end with good progress
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, June 15, IRNA
India-US-Nuke talks
India and the US reported "good progress" in reaching a common position on the proposed bilateral nuclear agreement as they wound up their first round of official-level talks here.
Keen to conclude the agreement at the earliest, the two sides decided to hold "fairly soon" their second round of discussions on the Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, also called the 123 Agreement.
The two sides had "very productive discussions," sources said here after three-days of talks which saw the two countries holding tough negotiations on various aspects of the agreement, particularly issues like future nuclear testing by India and assurances on atomic fuel supplies by the US.
The two countries made "good progress to reach an agreed text" on the pact, the sources said.
Discussions are understood to have focused on a permament ban on future nuclear tests and guaranteed supply of nuclear fuel from the US.
India is believed to have pointed out that it unilaterally declared a moratorium on nuclear testing eight years ago and is resisting a binding assurance.
It is more amenable to accepting conditions on curbing export of proliferation technology to other countries.
The two sides exchanged their versions of the agreement during the meeting between Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran and US
Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns in London last month.
At the talks, the Indian side was led by S Jai Shankar, joint secretary (America) in the External Affairs Ministry, while the US delegation was headed by Richard Stratford, director of the Department of Energy.
The Indian delegation also comprises officials from the Department of Atomic Energy while the US side includes representatives from the State Department and Bureau of Security and Non-proliferation.
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