By IANS
New Delhi : After talking tough on the faltering India-US civilian nuclear deal, US Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson said Tuesday that there was hope that the pact would fructify.
“I’m an optimist. I believe good ideas get done,” he said while speaking at the session on Mapping and Navigating the New Flat World at the Fortune Global Forum here.
Paulson’s comment was in response to a question from moderator Thomas Friedman, renowned American columnist and author of the bestselling book “The World is Flat”, on the fate of the India-US nuclear deal.
“We value the fact that issues of democracy are involved. It is important to let these processes work,” Paulson maintained.
“It is important to get it (the deal) implemented as soon as possible. We believe that it is good for the US, it is good for India,” he added.
Over the last two days, while speaking in Kolkata and then in Mumbai, Paulson has effectively asked the Indian government to ensure the deal moves ahead.
Paulson’s comment comes as Washington reiterated support for the deal, but ruled out the possibility of renegotiating the accord.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reiterated US support for the deal in a telephonic conversion with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Monday, State Department spokesperson Sean McCormack said.
Ruling out the possibility of renegotiating the agreement, McCormack said: “I don’t believe that there’s any consideration of that or any discussion of that on either side at this point.”