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US official backs Indo-US nuclear deal

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

New Delhi, Sept 5, IRNA
India-US-Nuke
Former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright Tuesday expressed support to the Indo-US civil nuclear deal but indicated her disapproval to India's possessing nuclear weapon capability.

Albright said she continued to be concerned about the
non-proliferation regime which had "broken" and said it can be fixed "if India can be a part of the solution rather than being outside." While noting that India has not been a proliferator, Albright said "I am in favor of the civil nuclear deal. I think it is a very important sign of the new US-India relationship."
"India has acted as a responsible nuclear state and I hope it would continue to do so," she told NDTV.

The first woman US Secretary of State said she understands that the civil nuclear deal was driven by India's energy needs.

Earlier, at an interactive session of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), she said the Indo-US civil nuclear deal reflected that the relations between the two countries were "growing strong." "We have a chance now to expand our bilateral ties in energy, business, science and culture. It cannot be confined to politics and business only", she said.

Talking about Indo-Pak relations, Albright praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for making efforts to have good relations with Pakistan, particularly his indication of meeting President Pervez Musharraf in Havana.

She conceded that India faced threat from terrorism similar to the one faced by the US but said New Delhi will have to deal with Musharraf.

She said the pakistan President was "dealing with some very difficult problems in terms of extremism. There are extremists he is having problem in controlling, satisfying, etc. The relationship with Taliban has been very complicated."
Albright said the world would be better off if all the countries embrace democracy but said global implementation of this political system would not be possible with countries like Pakistan, Iran, Syria and North Korea sliding back from it.

"We would be better off if all countries in the world become democracies," she said.

She expressed concern over the recent spurt in terrorist activities across the globe.

Replying to a query on what should be America's exit policy in Iraq, the former US Secretary of State said, "There was the US people that Iraqis would greet us as liberators. But I have hope for Iraq and US has to figure out a clear strategy in this respect." She said the US "must not leave that country in a chaotic mess.

We don't decide to damn Iraq. But we are also concerned with the growing impact of Iran on Iraq."
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