US: statement was a 145;mis-statement146;

It8217;s understood that McCormack was approached by some journalists after the regular briefing on Wednesday and in reply to queries, mentioned: 8220;The proposed 123 agreement has provisions in it that in the event of a nuclear test by India, all nuclear cooperation is terminated.8221;

While there are provisions in the 123 Agreement on action that may be taken if India were to test, the document also states that both sides would view termination as a major setback to the bilateral relationship.

Moreover, the party wanting to take this drastic step has to give a one-year notice to be used for consultations on the circumstances that may prompt a test.

In the context of these multiple provisions in the termination clause, McCormack8217;s remark also surprised the government as it was not in the spirit of what had been agreed.

Further, these remarks aren8217;t part of the official transcript and for this reason its veracity could not be fully ascertained. For the record, US points to Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns8217;s briefing on the agreement as Washington8217;s 8220;accurate understanding8221; of the n-deal.