Singh tells Bush of difficulties in India-US nuclear deal

Oct 16, 2007, 13:04 GMT

New Delhi - Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has told US President George W Bush about 'difficulties' in implementing a bilateral civil-nuclear energy deal amid Indian political opposition to the pact, officials and media reports said Tuesday.

Bush and Singh, who signed the nuclear agreement in July 2005, spoke by telephone on Monday night in a conversation that also covered issues related to world trade talks.

'The Prime Minister (Singh) explained to President Bush that certain difficulties have arisen with respect to the operationalization of the India-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement,' said a press release which was released in Abuja in Nigeria where Singh is on an official visit.

The conversation was confirmed by the Indian embassy in Washington on Monday night.

Indian media outlets reported that Singh's conversation marked a complete climbdown by the government on the nuclear pact with the US following strong opposition by four communist parties that support the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

The left-wing parties are traditionally opposed to India's close ties with the US and have said the nuclear agreement would have serious implications for India's strategic sovereignty and foreign policy.

The communists have over the last two months threatened to withdraw support to Singh's coalition government if New Delhi went ahead with holding negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency for an India-specific safeguards treaty.

Negotiations on the agreement are essential before India's bilateral civilian nuclear deal with the United States can become operational.

The NDTV network reported that Singh's conversation with Bush indicated that his government could not go ahead with the nuclear deal due to political difficulties.

The Times of India daily in its report mentioned that Singh also told Bush that his government would not be able to hold talks with the IAEA because of the opposition by the left-wing parties.

Last week, Singh, who has been a strong advocate of the nuclear pact, wilted under pressure from his left-wing allies and said it would 'not be the end of life' if the deal did not materialize.

Although there was no official comment from the left-wing parties, top communist leaders told the NDTV network that Singh had chosen the 'government over the nuclear deal.'

The leftists are also pushing for a debate on the nuclear deal in the upcoming session of parliament, the report said.

Reports from Washington indicate that the US administration remains hopeful that the deal could be clinched.

State Department spokesman Tom Casey said the US believes that the deal is a 'good one for the United States, for India and for the broader efforts at non-proliferation.'

The India-US nuclear agreement, reached in July after two years of negotiations, would allow the US to trade fissile materials and technology with India, ending a three-decade ban. The US had outlawed any nuclear trade with India after it first tested an atomic bomb in 1974.

In 1998, Washington imposed sanctions on India after the country detonated a nuclear device for the first time in more than 20 years. Those sanctions were lifted after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the US.