Manmohan Singh speaks to President Bush on NSG approval

New Delhi, Sept 6 : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and US President George W Bush today spoke to each other on telephone over the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) approval.

The Prime Minister thanked President Bush for his role in taking forward the Indo-US civil nuclear initiative and the decision by the NSG to adjust its guidelines to enable full civil nuclear cooperation between India and the international community.

The two leaders expressed their belief that mutually beneficial relations between India and the United States were in the interest of their peoples, and were on a path of steady consolidation and multifaceted expansion, to which both leaders reiterated their commitment.

The Prime Minister in his statement called the decision of the NSG to be a forward-looking and momentous decision that marks the end of India's decades long isolation from the nuclear mainstream and of the technology denial regime.

"It is a recognition of India's impeccable non-proliferation credentials and its status as a state with advanced nuclear technology," Singh said, and added, "It will give an impetus to India's pursuit of environmentally sustainable economic growth."

Singh further said, "The opening of full civil nuclear cooperation between India and the international community will be good for India and for the world."

While stating the benefits of the nuclear deal the Prime Minister said, "We look forward to establishing a mutually beneficial partnership with friendly countries in an area which is important for both global energy security as well as to meet the challenge of climate change."

The NSG approval ends 34 years of isolation enforced upon India following the 1974 Pokhran nuclear tests. India was given approval by the NSG in spite of not having signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), which is unprecedented and a landmark step in the implementation of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal that will now go to the US Congress for approval.

ANI