Indian team heads to US for resolving nuclear impasse

Source: Indo-Asian News Service

Published: Sunday, 15 July, 2007, 02:21 AM Doha Time

NEW DELHI: ~snip~ Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar will accompany <National Security Adviser M K> Narayanan for this crucial round of talks with the American team led by US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley and Nicholas Burns, Washington’s chief pointman on the nuclear deal.

India’s ambassador to the US Ronen Sen and S Jaishankar, New Delhi’s envoy to Singapore who have been closely involved in nuclear negotiations, will also join the Indian team in Washington for these crucial talks, official sources said. ~snip~

The meeting is expected to close the gap over contentious issues like India’s insistence on its right to reprocessing, nuclear testing and fuel guarantees.

The idea is to finalise the 123 agreement, which will pave the way for resumption of nuclear commerce between India and the US after a three-decade hiatus, by year-end, as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said recently. ~snip~

Read more: http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=160981&version=1&template_id=40&parent_id=22

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Major effort underway to rescue US-India N-deal
Sunday, July 15, 2007

WASHINGTON: A major effort gets underway next week to resolve the differences arisen between India and the US with regards to certain provisions of the US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation agreement.

According to the State Department, the US “looks forward to welcoming Indian National Security Adviser MK Narayanan, Department of Atomic Energy Chairman Anil Kakodkar, and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon to Washington from July 16 to July 19”. On July 17, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns will host the Indian delegation for meetings and a dinner to discuss the US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative, including the bilateral agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation. Indian officials will also participate in meetings with US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley at the White House. ~snip~

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C07%5C15%5Cstory_15-7-2007_pg7_30


India seen sticking to guns at U.S. nuclear talks
Sat Jul 14, 2007 9:36PM EDT
By Y.P. Rajesh

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is expected to show little flexibility at negotiations with the United States this week over a controversial nuclear energy deal, officials said, amid fears the landmark pact could be running out of time. ~snip~

The civilian nuclear cooperation deal will allow India to buy nuclear fuel and equipment from American firms, overturning a three-decade ban imposed after India, which has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, conducted nuclear tests. ~snip~

But critics in both countries have accused their governments of giving away too much, with U.S. supporters of non-proliferation saying they feared it would lead to a nuclear arms race between India, Pakistan and China.

Indian officials complain of Washington's refusal to allow reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and a clause to penalize India if it conducts another nuclear test by ending nuclear cooperation and requiring the return of nuclear equipment. ~snip~

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSDEL1566920070715