UPA Government committed' to Indo-US nuke deal: Ronen Sen

Washington : India's Ambasador to the United States, Ronen Sen, has reiterated the Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government's committment to the civilian nuclear deal with the US.

Addressing the Sigur Center for Asian Studies' India Initiative programme of George Washington University, Sen said: "As far as the status of the civilian nuclear cooperation agreement is concerned... I would like to say clearly and categorically that the Government is committed to that."

"There is still work in progress. We are a democracy and there are certain processes which have to be over and that is not complete; and we have to take subsequent steps from international forums," he said referring to the safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency and an exemption from the Nuclear Suppliers Group. We hope that these steps will be completed as soon as possible so that this agreement will come into force," he added.

"As far as the NSG, I don't want to anticipate what the conclusion will be, but we expect a clear exemption," he said.

Sen said the framework of the US-India bilateral relationship was based on shared values, common concerns and intersecting interests not just in the short-term but also in the long-term and strategic aspects.

Ashley Tellis, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment, also participated in the discussion.

Tellis said the growth of Indian power is good for America, and added that further economic integration and a robust US-India relations is good for the rest of the world.

ANI