Inaugurating a day-long seminar on "Engaging India; the prospects of India-US initatives" organised by the Baroda Forum for policy analysis, Newbill said, "We understand that India's democratic system requires that its representatives and leaders must review, discuss, and debate this initiative before we can move forward".
This type of major bilateral initiative is unprecedented in India's history and it must endure a proper airing in India's Parliament and public, he said.
Members of US Congress wanted its finalisation early in order to ensure that all the legislative steps can be taken to implement it, as well as those steps required by the nuclear suppliers group and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency).
Newbill hoped that they would be able to complete this agreement and bring a new era of civil nuclear cooperation that will help to address India's rapidly growing energy needs through the completion of this civil nuclear cooperation initiative, US and India embarked on a new direction in their bilateral relationship, said Newbill.
This path has not been without controversy and debate over the implementation of the initiative and in particular, the 123 agreement that was successfully negotiated by the President Bush and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last July.
