Nuclear deal, trade on agenda as Biden, PM meet

India and the US Tuesday discussed how to take forward the commercial aspects of the civil nuclear deal and enhance economic ties as US Vice President Joe Biden met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here Tuesday.

Biden, who arrived here Monday on a four-day visit, met Manmohan Singh for around an hour at the Prime Minister's House at 7, Race Course Road.

Both sides "discussed the synergies between India and US on a wide variety of issues and emphasized the importance the bilateral relationship has".

The prime minister "underlined the significance of economic exchange between the two countries in helping India to tackle the host of issues relating to enhancement of the wellbeing of the Indian people".

National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, Ambassador Nirupama Rao and Foreign Secretary-designate Sujatha Singh were present during the talks, said sources.

Both sides held discussions on energy, innovation as well as on regional issues such as Afghanistan and the neighbourhood.

"They also discussed on how to take forward the commercial aspects of the civil nuclear agreement between the two countries," said an official source.

India and the US have still to work out the commercial details of a contract between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) and the US' Westinghouse Electric for setting up the first US reactor in India.

US Secretary of State John Kerry, who was in India last month, had said that India and the US were committed to "fully implement" the Indo-US civil nuclear deal and arrive at a common agreement "by September this year" for the first US reactor in India.

Earlier, Biden called on Vice President Hamid Ansari where he outlined President Barack Obama's and his "personal commitment and interest" in expansion of India-US relations, and said India's Look East policy was complementary to America's "re-balancing towards Asia".

Ahead of his trip, Biden said the visit to India and Singapore were intended to reinforce the White House strategy of "rebalancing" towards Asia and the Pacific.

Ansari emphasized on the vibrancy of the bilateral relationship, which he said indicated that relations have grown from strength to strength.