India bound by the 123 agreement: Pranab

Font Size

Print

Feedback

Email

Discuss

Related Articles

Nuclear programme has allowed India to ‘think big’...India spurns Obama’s NPT callWe’ll build institutions to strengthen world peace...India, Canada negotiate nuke deal

Washington, October 11:: India made it clear on Saturday that it was bound only by the agreed text of the 123 Agreement after it inked the landmark pact to operationalise the nuclear deal with the US, culminating three years of intense efforts from both sides to reverse 34 years of its nuclear isolation.

Winding up his day-long visit here during which he signed the civilian nuclear cooperation pact with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said he was satisfied with fuel supply assurances specified not only in the accord but also in the Presidential Statement.

"...we will implement this agreement in good faith. That clearly implies we trust each other," he told reporters responding to a query on the issue of trust in foreign policy.

Mukherjee maintained that he was aware of the internal mechanisms and processes of the US but would not comment on the process of legislation in the American Congress.

"We are bound by the agreed text of the 123 Agreement which is negotiated by the negotiators of the two countries. And it is on the basis of Joint statement issued by President (George W) Bush and Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) on 18th July 2005 and also by the Joint Statement of March 2006. It is not merely a question of the interpretation. It is the question of the agreed text on which we are depending," the External Affairs Minister said.

When asked whether he was rejecting Congressional intent in the resolution of approval by insisting that India was bound only the text of the 123 Agreement, he said "I am aware of the procedure followed by US Congress in the legislation. Every country has its own process of legislation as we have."

"We are bound by the agreement negotiated between the two sovereign countries and in this case, it is the 123 Agreement," he said, hoping that India will be soon completing procedures on the issue of liabilities.

"As far as the question on the International Convention to mitigate the liabilities of nuclear issues, we are in the process of completing the formalities in our country and I do hope it would be possible for us to participate in the International Convention in due course of time," Mukherjee said.

On fuel supply assurances, the minister maintained that the Text of the 123 Agreement and the Presidential Statement took care of the matter.