India, US working to conclude N-pact by Sept
India and the US are working towards concluding the bilateral civil nuclear agreement by September.
India and the US are working towards concluding the bilateral civil nuclear agreement by September.
"It is the intention of the two countries that the agreement (also called as 123 agreement) be concluded by September and efforts are being made in this direction," a Diplomatic source said on Thursday.
The two sides have already held two rounds of talks and completed "60 per cent" of their negotiations. Next round of talks is likely to be held soon.
The agreement is also to be got ratified by the US Congress like the bill to change the American law to enable Washington to have nuclear trade with India.
Progress has also been reported on India's negotiations with IAEA and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Under the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, New Delhi has to have an India-specific safeguards agreement with 35-country IAEA and get endorsement of 45-nation NSG to allow international community to trade in nuclear field with this country.
"We are optimistic that we will see progress," US Embassy's Charge d'Affairs Geoffrey Pyatt said here today.
He said India has been "very effective in its outreach to the IAEA and NSG," he said, and noted that even the key NSG countries, which had initially been sceptical about the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, had now turned positive.
He specifically referred to Germany in this regard.
"It indicates which way the wind is blowing," he said.
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