A two-day talk to operationalise the civil nuclear deal between India and the US began today, with New Delhi insisting that it will accept no deviation from the understanding reached between the two sides last year.Officials from the two countries met here for talks on the 123 Agreement during which they will seek to address the differences over various elements in the Henry Hyde Act. India has alleged that the Hyde Act, passed by the US Congress in December last year to allow civil nuclear trade with India, “significantly deviates” from the understanding of July 18, 2005 and March last year, which was unacceptable to it. New Delhi’s concerns particularly relate to elements relating to reprocessing of spent fuel, end-use monitoring, fuel assurances, future nuclear testing and fissile material control.New Delhi has already conveyed its concerns to Washington and handed over a draft text of the agreement suggesting the clauses it wants to be incorporated. The Indian side included Indian envoy in Singapore S Jaishankar, who was leading the delegation until the last round.
