Pranab leaves for US, to sign 123 pact on Saturday

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With the US president George W Bush dispelling India’s concerns over nuclear fuel assurances and re-processing of spent nuclear fuel, external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee on Thrusday left for Washington to sign the bilateral 123 civil nuclear cooperation agreement with the US.

With the US enabling law on the India-US civil nuclear deal in place, Mukherjee and US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice will ink the bilateral 123 agreement on Friday in Washington (Saturday here).

The historic agreement, opening nuclear trade between the two countries that was over three years in the making, would be signed in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the State Department. While signing the implementing legislation on Wednesday, US president George Bush hailed the India-US civil nuclear agreement as “a big deal”, which will help India meet its energy demands while giving the US access to a growing market for nuclear technologies and materials.

Former diplomats in New Delhi hailed the agreement saying that this will help future presidents in that country to take a stand when a section of the US Congress have a view which is different than the administration. Former foreign secretary Shashank said, “The US president has gone by the commitments he made to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the July 18, 2005 joint statement.” Swadesh Chatterjee, founder of US-based US-India Friendship Council stated, “This is the most historic political moment for the Indian American community.”

“President Bush’s statement has addressed doubts raised during the debate on the nuclear deal and it is important to see how the critics react,” said Naresh Chandra, former ambassador to US.

It was widely believed that the US-India nuclear deal represents a major policy shift for the US. In addition, the nuclear pact could open up around $27 billion in investment in 18 to 20 nuclear plants in India over the next 15 years, according to the CII. However, the Left parties have termed US president’s assertion that Washington would ensure fuel supply for India’s civil nuclear reactors as just verbal assurances from a man whose days as president were numbered.