New Delhi behaved responsibly on nuke front: Pranab

New York, Sep 25: Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee has expressed hope that the civilian nuclear agreement between the United States and India will be cleared by the US Congress soon.

The House of Representatives, the lower house, has already ratified the agreement first signed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W Bush in July, last year. The Senate, the upper house, is expected to endorse it later this year.

Praising Indian-Americans for their contributions to strengthening overall relationship between the two countries, Mr Mukherjee told a community reception organised here last night that the agreement would not only be mutually beneficial but also will benefit the entire world.

In this connection, the minister cited the country's nuclear non-proliferation credentials despite the fact that New Delhi has not signed the relevant treaty.

''The international community is prepared to cooperate with New Delhi in the civil nuclear programme because India has behaved responsibly,'' he said. ''There has not been a single case of outward proliferation though India was the first Asian nation to build indigenous atomic reactor,'' he highlighted.

Mr Mukherjee said, ''You are a bridge between India and the United States. And your contribution is very important for the growing relationship between our countries.'' The bilateral ties will not depend on a single subject the minister assured and said the relationship was strategic.

He pointed out that the agreement would not affect the country's ongoing nuclear research and development programmes.

Stating that India has been playing its part in the community of nations, he said, New Delhi helped not only neighbours like Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives during their natural calamities, but also offered assistance to the US when Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana and other states.

The minister exhorted the community, particularly its second generation, to take part in the political process in their adopted land as such a situation would further bring the countries closer.

Mr Mukherjee, who is leading the Indian delegation to the ongoing UN General Assembly session, is scheduled to address the session on Wednesday afternoon.

During his bilateral and multilateral meetings, he met with a number of foreign dignitaries including US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. On Saturday, he had a 40-minute meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing.

UNI