New Delhi: Following is the chronology of events in the India-US civil nuclear agreement since it was conceived by then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh and then US president George W Bush in July 2005.July 18, 2005: Bush and Singh first announce their intention to enter into a civil nuclear agreement in Washington.
March 1, 2006: Bush visits India for the first time.
March 3, 2006: Bush and Singh issue a joint statement on their growing strategic partnership, emphasising their agreement on civil nuclear cooperation.
July 26, 2006: The US House of Representatives passes the ‘Henry J Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006,’ which stipulates that Washington will cooperate with New Delhi on nuclear issues and exempt it from signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
July 28, 2006: The Left parties demand threadbare discussion on the issue in Parliament.
Nov 16, 2006: The US Senate passes the ‘United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation and US Additional Protocol Implementation Act’ to “exempt from certain requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 United States exports of nuclear materials, equipment, and technology to India”.
Dec 18, 2006: President Bush signs into law congressional legislation on Indian atomic energy.
July 27, 2007: Negotiations on a bilateral agreement between the US and India conclude.
Aug 3, 2007: The text of the ‘Agreement for Cooperation between the Government of the United States of America and the Government of India concerning peaceful uses of nuclear energy’ (123 Agreement) is released by both governments.
Aug 13, 2007: Manmohan Singh makes a suo motu statement in Parliament on the deal.
Aug 17, 2007: CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat says the ‘honeymoon (with government) may be over but the marriage can go on’.
Sep 4, 2007: UPA-Left committee to discuss civil nuclear deal set up.
Feb 25, 2008: Left parties say the UPA would have to choose between the deal and its government’s stability.
April 23, 2008: US government says it will seek the sense of the House on the 123 Agreement before it is taken up for ratification by the American Congress.
July 9, 2008: The draft India-specific safeguards accord with the IAEA circulated to IAEA’s Board of Governors for approval.
July 10, 2008: Manmohan Singh calls for a vote of confidence in Parliament.
July 14, 2008: The IAEA says it will meet on Aug 1 to consider the India-specific safeguards agreement.
July 24, 2008: India launches full blast lobbying among the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for an exemption for nuclear commerce.
Aug 1, 2008: IAEA Board of Governors adopts India-specific safeguards agreement unanimously.
Sep 11, 2008: President Bush sends the text of 123 Agreement to the US Congress for final approval.
Sep 12, 2008: US remains silent over the controversy in India triggered by Bush’s assertions that nuclear fuel supply assurances to New Delhi under the deal were only political commitments and not legally binding.
Sep 18, 2008: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee starts a crucial hearing on the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Sep 26, 2008: Singh meets Bush at the White House, but they are not able to sign the nuclear deal as the US Congress did not approve it.
Sep 27, 2008: House of Representatives approves the Indo-US nuclear deal. In all, 298 members voted for the Bill while 117 voted against it.
Oct 4, 2008: White House announces that Bush will sign the legislation on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal into a law on Oct 8.
Oct 8, 2008: Bush signs legislation to enact the landmark US-India
civil nuclear agreement.
Jan 25, 2014: US President Barack Obama says the US and India have reached a breakthrough and they are moving towards commercial cooperation in the civil nuclear energy deal.
The deal is done, says Indian Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh.