By IANS,
New Delhi : US ambassador David Mulford Friday lauded India’s decision to move ahead with the “historic” nuclear deal and said his government will work closely with New Delhi in the IAEA, the NSG and the US Congress to implement it “as quickly as possible”.
“The US welcomes the government of India’s initiative to move forward with the US-India civil nuclear deal by seeking the IAEA approval for its safeguards agreement,” Mulford said in a statement here.
His statement came a day after the government made public the text of its safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The US envoy said the deal would help India meet its growing energy needs “in an economically efficient and environmentally friendly manner and will strengthen the global non-proliferation regime.
“Much work still needs to be done to see this initiative through to the final stages,” the envoy underlined, while calling the deal a significant component of the strategic partnership envisioned by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President George Bush three years ago.
“We will work closely with India, with governors in the IAEA, with our Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) partners, and with the US Congress to ensure that this initiative is implemented as quickly as possible,” he said.
The Indian government approached the IAEA secretariat in Vienna Wednesday night to circulate the text of the safeguards pact to the agency’s 35-member board for their approval.
The deal will then go to the 45-nation NSG who will decide on changing its guidelines to favour global commerce with India. This will be followed by the ratification of the deal by the US Congress to make it operational.