Obama: US committed to nuclear deal with India
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The United States will be "fully committed" to finalize a civilian nuclear agreement reached with India in 2005, President Barack Obama said in Washington on Tuesday.
"I reaffirmed to the prime minister my administration's commitment to fully implement the US-India civil nuclear agreement which increases American exports and creates jobs in both countries," Obama told reporters after talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
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US President Barack Obama (R) and Indian Prime Minister Manmoham Singh hold a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., capital of the US, Nov. 24, 2009. [Zhang Yan/Xinhua] |
The United States and India signed the civilian nuclear agreement when former US president George W. Bush visited New Delhi in March 2006, thus ending the long nuclear isolation imposed on India after it tested an atom bomb in 1974,
Under the deal, India agreed to separate its civilian and military nuclear programs, allowing international scrutiny for the bulk of its power stations to ensure non-proliferation.
However, some issues concerning the agreement remain to be solved before the pact can be implemented.
Some US lawmakers from the ruling Democratic Party opposed the US-India civil nuclear treaty, saying it sent a bad message to nations such as Iran that are feared to be seeking nuclear weapons.
Since Bush took office in 2001, India and the US have made dramatic steps toward forging a strategic partnership after decades of Cold War animosity.
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