Describing the Indo-US nuclear deal as part of a broader strategic dialogue between the two countries, the Obama administration has said it wants India to be a major player.
Describing the Indo-US nuclear deal as part of a broader strategic dialogue between the two countries, the Obama administration has said it wants India to be a major player in its overall non-proliferation efforts and views the country as a "full partner" on the issue.
"We want them (India) to really be a major player at the table in trying to figure out how, starting from where we are right now, we go forward in an effective, verifiable manner to reinstate a non-proliferation regime that can prevent further countries acquiring nuclear weapons, or even peaceful nuclear capacity without the safeguards that we envision," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.
"So we see India as a full partner in this effort, and we look forward to working with them as we try to come up with the 21st century version of the NPT," she said at the US Institute of Peace last evening in response to a question on Indo-US civilian nuclear deal and the commitment of the Obama Administration towards this.
The Indo-US nuclear deal, Clinton said, is embedded in a broader strategic dialogue that the US is engaged in with the Indians.
"We view our relationship as one that is comprehensive and very deep in terms of the issues that we wish to explore with our Indian counterparts in the areas where we are either already or look to cooperate," Clinton said.
"I think it is very significant that the first official visit in the Obama administration will be in November, when Prime Minister (Manmohan) Singh arrives," the Secretary of State said.
The Indo-US nuclear deal, Clinton said, is being supported by both her and President Barack Obama. The agreement is one that reflects the negotiations between India and the United States, she said.
"We're not going to claim or use it as a template in its specifics, but in general the kind of efforts to offer peaceful nuclear energy while at the same time having safeguards and verification that will prevent others from going beyond the peaceful use of nuclear energy is something that we are looking at very closely," Clinton said.
"The so-called 123 agreements that have been negotiated or are in the midst of being negotiated with other countries raise a lot of the same issues," Clinton said.
The goal is to create a better verification and safeguard regime to look for ways to provide the fuel cycle that "doesn't spin into its use for non-peaceful purposes," she said during the question-answer session following her speech on nuclear non-proliferation.
"Obviously, we have a lot of confidence in the Indians and a lot of confidence in their approach, and we are going to be working closely with them, including American companies that will be part of implementing the reactor sites that are part of the agreement," Clinton said.
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