'We must wait for final text of legislation'

New Delhi, Jul 27: The passage by the House of Representatives of the bill authorising the Bush Administration to engage in full civil nuclear energy cooperation with India demonstrated the broad political consensus in America for promotion of Indo-US relations in all fields including civil nuclear energy cooperation, New Delhi said today in initial response to the landmark measure.

Nevertheless, it said, it would await the final text of the legislation before commenting on its contents.

A spokesman of the External Affairs Ministry said the passage of the Bill authorising the US Administration to engage in full civil nuclear energy cooperation with India by a large margin of bipartisan votes, demonstrated the broad political consensus in America for promotion of Indo-US relations in all fields including civil nuclear energy cooperation.

''We must, nevertheless, await the finalised text of the legislation which will emerge after a Senate vote and the reconciliation of the two Bills, before we are able to comment on its contents,'' he said.

The spokesman said that as had already been stated, there were concerns that had been conveyed to the U S to ensure that the final legislation must not deviate from the parameters of the Indo-US Joint Statement of July 18, 2005, and the Separation Plan.

Earlier today, in consonance with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's assertion, the United States affirmed that it had ''not moved goal posts'' on the nuclear deal between the two countries and Washington stood by the sentiments of the July 18, 2005, Joint Statement.

UNI