India needs to tap all sources of energy : Pranab

New Delhi, May 4 (UNI) In an apparent rejection of US lawmakers' suggestion to ''sever'' ties with Iran for final implementation of the Indo-US nuclear deal, India today said it needed to tap all sources of energy and keep every option open to meet its growing energy requirements.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, in his inaugural address at an Indo-US Business Conference, said secure and sustainable energy sources were vital for ensuring India's high economic growth rates and enable it to address the developmental challenges on the ''poorest of its citizens''.

''We need to tap all sources of energy and keep our options in this regard open. It is an appreciation of this need that is at the heart of the India-US Civil Nuclear understanding and the larger energy dialogue...,'' the External Affairs Minister said. The comment comes a day after seven US Senators asked India to ''sever'' ties with Iran for final implementation of the civilian nuclear agreement.

Expressing India's commitment to the deal as per the July 2005 agreement and the March 2006 Separation Plan, the External Affairs Minister said India remained committed to implementing the understanding expeditiously in a way that it adhered ''as closely as possible'' to the framework of the July 2005 Joint Statement and the March 2006 Separation Plan.

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