Time is precious to seal nuke-deal: David Mulford

After successive visits last week by British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the French President Nicholas Sarkozy to fabricate strong relationship with India, the first among developing countries, it was turn for the US ambassador David Mulford to re-assert the significance of Washington’s relations with New Delhi, here on Monday.

He said both of them are at the verge of major transformation in Indo-US relations. Civil relationship is the major part of our relations; people to people interaction in business, education, culture and other spheres would dominate India-US ties in future.

The clause of Hyde act as it is inserted with the Indo-US nuclear ties there is nothing sort of it is a part of the India’s nuclear deal if occur with France or Russia in future as the leaders of these countries have pledged. Keeping this at the utmost fact many experts on the foreign relations are of the opinion to finalise nuclear deal with France and Russia. The British prime minister also praised, last week when he had visited New Delhi that the India’s nuclear programme as purposely made for peaceful operations.

Although the US envoy had nothing to say of much importance, but perhaps the news, flaring up about the greater ties of India with Britain and later with France, published in the last week’s newspaper made the US feel left out.

He however had refused to say anything in detail about the obstruction and delays in the ongoing process apart from saying that Washington respects India’s political process. But he insisted that it would be practical to complete the remaining steps in the operationalisation of the nuclear deal before US President George Bush obsolete office as the time is running out for the nuclear deal.

In view of the spotlight that is shifting away gradually from the present president to the Democrat candidates Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama, the US ambassador adamant on the Indo-US bilateral ties, pointed out that a failure to complete the deal would mean the nuclear deal would be put in cold storage not less than for two years.

“Time is of the essence. It is practical to complete the processes, if we can, during the course of this administration; we have kept an eye on the timeline, and are sensitive to the fact that time is passing and so is India,” said David Mulford.

Delays always hamper the progress. He said if the deal not finalise now, then it would be difficult in near future considering by the time the new government would take over power in US, it would be time for election in India and so he said, “If the processes are not finished during the term of this administration, then we must understand that there will be a new administration in the US and also a new Congress.”

The US ambassador told at a press conference that it was India, which had elected not to sign similar civil nuclear cooperation agreements with the US. Other countries, too following the footsteps of India that they could not move forward with actual cooperation on the ground without India concluding a safeguards agreement with the IAEA and a waiver from the NSG.

Mulford however hoped that the IAEA talks with India would be successful. He said the US will wait for the final safeguards agreement before approaching the NSG. Most of the NSG countries do not wish to be involved till the IAEA safeguards are concluded. There are different views in the NSG. He did not know how long the NSG process would take.

While asking about the disappearance of Nicholas Burns from the State Department, Mulford said that the departure of US Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns should not be seen as a step back as far as the nuke deal was concerned.