Bush assures PM on N-deal

Seeking to reassure India that the US will not shift goalposts of the civilian nuclear deal, President George W Bush today called up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

While Singh said India still had "some concerns," both leaders hoped that these would be addressed in the next stage of negotiations.

During the conversation, Singh told Bush that "India still has some concerns, though many have been addressed" in Bush's signing statement, prime minister's media adviser Sanjaya Baru said.

"Both leaders expressed hope that the remaining concerns will be addressed in the next stage of negotiations," he said.

The call from Bush came two days after he made it clear that the legislation he signed on Monday did not mean he endorsed all its contents and that he considered certain portions, like those seeking to restrict fissile material production and transfer of enrichment technology, as merely "advisory."

Bush and Singh expressed happiness at the "strengthening" of the bilateral relations.

Ending India's 30-year-old nuclear isolation, Bush had on Monday signed the Henry J Hyde India-US Peaceful Energy Act, allowing civilian nuclear trade with New Delhi, saying the step would make the world safer.

In a statement issued shortly after signing the Act, Bush had indicated that he did not agree with provisions like Section 103 and Section 104(d)(2) in the legislation.

Section 103 says that the US will oppose development of a capability to produce nuclear weapons by any non-nuclear weapon state within or outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime.

The US government will also seek to prevent transfer of these equipment and technologies from other members of the NSG or from any other source if the transfers are suspended or terminated.

Section 104(d)(2) stipulates that such transfers cannot be effected to India without suitable changes in the NSG guidelines. Bush said his approval of the legislation did not mean that he was endorsing it as US foreign policy. He said the provisions were "advisory."

Seeking to allay concerns in India over reference to Iran, the US has said that New Delhi is not involved in the matter, which is strictly between the American Congress and Administration.

Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Richard Boucher said the reporting requirement on Iran "does not impinge" on India and hinted that the cooperation would be guided by the 123 Agreement, which was being negotiated to operationalise the civil nuclear deal.