India sets aside US democrat's remarks on Indo-US N-deal
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, June 23, IRNA
India-US-Deal
An Indian official said here on Friday that there have been a number of US Senators and Congressmen who have expressed different views concerning the Indo-US nuclear agreement.
"India has been negotiating the nuclear deal with the US Administration on the premise that it is an agreement about civil nuclear energy on the basis of "mutual benefit"," said Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna in a press briefing, while replying about the remarks by US Democrat lawmaker Tom Lantos, co-author of a bill aimed at implementing Indo-US civilian nuclear deal.
He said, "The agreement would have to be based on the reciprocal commitments incorporated in the Indo-US joint statement of July 18, 2005 and the elements contained in India's Separation Plan, which was submitted to Parliament on March 11, 2006."
Sarna said this was the "understanding" with the US
Administration, "which has the responsibility for bringing about a change in US legislation to enable full civil nuclear energy cooperation between our two countries."
Lantos has cautioned India against associating itself with statements against US policies on Iran in fora like Non-Aligned Moment (NAM) if it wanted Congress to approve the pact.
He contended that the recent NAM statement was diametrically opposed to the approach taken by the five Permanent Members of the Security Council and Germany.
"And for whatever historical or traditional or incomprehensible reasons, India associated itself with this statement", he said.
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