US, India N-talks drag on as Brazil, South Africa back New Delhi

18 July 2007

Mumbai: Six weeks after India and the US started a fresh round of talks in New Delhi aimed at a consensus on the terms of a proposed nuclear accord, both sides have agreed to hold negotiations until July 19 in Washington.

Technical experts from both sides met earlier in the day to narrow differences over India getting an enduring supply of nuclear fuel from the US, reprocessing spent fuel and retaining the right to conduct tests. If the accord doesn''t give consent to reprocessing rights, talks can''t proceed.

While the US said it was ready to resolve ``outstanding issues'''' on the proposed nuclear deal with India, an agreement had so far eluded the two.

State department spokesman Sean McCormack said in an e-mailed statement that the US is keen to resolve differences on the so-called 123 agreement that was agreed upon by US president George W. Bush and prime minister Manmohan Singh in July 2005.

The Bush administration also describes the initiative as one of its major foreign policy achievements, marking a strategic alliance with the world''s biggest democracy.

``The US understands the importance of the agreement to our relationship and the benefits it will bring to both nations,'''' McCormack said. ``We are confident that with continued hard work, flexibility and good spirit, we will reach a final agreement.''''