We’re never going to declare N-deal dead: US

“We are never going to declare it(nuke deal) dead because we think it’s critically important,” White House Press Secretary Dana Perino Perino said at her briefing.

Perino made the statement when she was asked to comment on a perception in some quarters that the deal may be dead for reasons including the scarce time left to get the approval of the US Congress.

“Well, I just want to remind – you often want me to say whether or not we think that this deal is dead,” White House Perino told the reporter who referred to the perception. “We are appreciative that the Indians are reconsidering their position, that they continue to have dialogue about it,” Perino said.

“And the fact that they are here in Washington talking about it is a good sign,” she said referring to the recent visit of Abhishek Singhvi, spokesman of Congress party. Singhvi had meetings with Administration officials and US lawmakers to brief them on the circumstances that have come in the way of progress of the deal.

Perino’s remarks also came shortly after a senior official said it was “definitely feasible'” to push the remaining steps on the nuclear deal with India for implementation if India approved the historic 123 agreement finalised last year.

“If the Indian government approves it, I do think that then what remains is to get an agreement with the IAEA and with the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group. But I think those things are definitely feasible,” Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte told a TV show.

“Right now the main stumbling block is the internal Indian political process. And they’re going to have to work that out,” he said.

The top US official said the Indian government was “committed” to the civil nuclear deal but it is being held up in the political process.

“At the moment, it’s held up in the Indian political process…and they are having difficulty,” Negroponte said appearing in the Charlie Rose Show of PBS.

“The government is committed to it. But they’ve got their own coalition politics and political considerations to take into account,” Negroponte said.

Operationalisation of the deal is three crucial steps away — firming up of India-IAEA safeguards agreement, waiver by 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group to India for trade with international community and a final vote by the US Congress.

Negroponte said the bilateral ties between India and the US have witnessed significant improvement and Washington looks at India much more strategically than in the past.

“India is an area where we really have had a significant improvement in the relationship with that country. And I think we look at India much more strategically than we used to. This is the second largest population in the world. It’s a democratic country,” Negroponte said.

“I see India as a large country, more than one billion people, which is democratic, and which the US cannot afford to ignore,” he said.