India for efforts to integrate with global mainstream in N-sector

On Board Prime Minister's Special Aircraft, Oct 16 (UNI) A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh explained to US President George W Bush the difficulties the nuclear deal was facing in India, the government today said the country would continue to seek full integration with the global mainstream in civil nuclear cooperation.

While refusing to comment on the fate of the deal, Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma said, ''It is not a one narrow-issue...we have to look at the larger picture of India's energy security and access to cleaner fuel resources.'' He said India was an emerging power. ''In the chapter of India's renaissance, you cannot surely go ahead in isloation from the global mainstream...that is going to hurt you.'' Mr Sharma, who was briefing mediapersons after Dr Singh's three-day visit to Nigeria , said all of us should realise the importance of removing the logjam ''on the nuke deal''.

He was talking on board the Prime Minister's Special Aircraft on way from Abuja to South Africa where Dr Singh will attend the Second India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Summit tomorrow.

''When it will be I cannot say...but I can say with conviction that there is a need for the return of India to civil nuclear cooperation with the rest of the world and removal of the restrictive regime of the last three decades will be truly serving India's supreme national interest.'' Replying to a question, he said the government was clear in its understanding that there was a need to explore the availabilty of energy for longterm security, sustainable development and for India's supreme national interest.

In this context, Mr Sharma pointed out that the use of nuclear energy accounted for 78 per cent of the total energy demands in countries like France.

He said the nuclear energy was the ideal source to meet the emerging need for power. It was high time that the dependence on fossil fuel was reduced, Mr Sharma added.

UNI