India's sensitivities on N-deal will be removed

New Delhi, Nov 17: US Ambassador to India David Mulford today described the Senate passage of the Indo-US nuclear deal as a ''very positive development'', and assured India that the Bill would soon become a law with the issues causing sensitivities in India resolved.

Addressing a press conference here after the Senate passed the Bill by 85-12 votes, Mr Mulford said, ''It is a historic day in the long relations between India and the US....Perhaps the best day ever.... We can now move forward with a great deal of optimism.'' Asked whether it was too early for celebrations as India had expressed reservations on certain aspects of the deal, he said the two Bills, the House Bill and the Senate Bill, had to be reconciled and then sent to the US President for signature to become a law.

There were also certain issues which were causing sensitivities in India, he said, but assured that the US Administration was working with the Congress to see that these were resolved early.

''It is possible to resolve the problems and come out with something acceptable.... The outlook is positive and we will complete this shortly,'' he said.

On whether the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) would approve the agreement, the US Ambassador said: ''I am confident that the NSP will reach a consensus that will permit them to change their rules.''

Mr Mulford said India had done a good job in discussing the deal with several of the NSG countries with number of them expressing their support to it. He said the agreement would help India to meet its energy needs and emerge as a world economic power. India, he said, would no longer remain isolated.

A US trade mission was coming to India this month-end with about 200 companies, a significant number of them dealing in civil nuclear energy, he added.

He said the broadening of relations between the two countries was evident from the fact that the US government had given security clearance to Jet Airways for launching flights to America, and that its defence policy group had held talks with the officials here during the past two days on various areas of military cooperation.

UNI

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