'Breakthrough' in US-India nuclear deal
Reflecting great bonhomie and personal chemistry, India and the United States yesterday achieved a major breakthrough in operationalising the stalled civil nuclear deal in the biggest outcome of the talks between Barack Obama and Narendra Modi yesterday.
Addressing a joint media conference with Indian prime minister at the Hyderabad House, the visiting US president said the two countries have reached a breakthrough on two issues holding up civil nuclear cooperation between them.
For his part, Modi said India and the US are moving towards commercial operationalisation of the Indo-US nuclear deal, writes our New Delhi correspondent Pallab Bhattacharya.
"Civil nuclear deal was the centrepiece of Indo-US understanding," Modi said. "Six years after the bilateral agreement, we are now moving towards commercial cooperation..."
India and the United States signed the civilian nuclear deal in 2008, but differences remained over an Indian nuclear liability law that makes equipment suppliers ultimately responsible for an accident. Countries like France and the US have asked India to follow global norms under which the primary liability lies with the operator.
Since all the nuclear power plants in the country are run by the government-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), following international norms will mean the government would have to pay heavy damages in case of an accident.
The U.S. is also believed to insisting on tracking fuel supplies, even from third countries, to the reactors their suppliers will be building in India. New Delhi is said to be opposing such a condition as being intrusive and would subject itself only to IAEA safeguards, reports Hindustan Times.
“Today we achieved a breakthrough understanding on two issues that were holding up our ability to advance our civil nuclear cooperation and we are committed to moving towards full implementation," said Obama at the news conference.
"This is an important step that shows how we can work together to elevate our relationship.”
Though there was no official word yet on the contours, it is understood that the breakthrough was achieved in one-on-one talks between Modi and Obama during a short stroll and over tea in the manicured lawn of Hyderabad House this afternoon.
Indian media reports said the two leaders had ironed out differences on the liability of suppliers to India in the event of a nuclear accident as the United States had dropped its demand to be able to track the whereabouts of nuclear material supplied to India.
Both leaders also held extensive discussions on enhancing cooperation in crucial areas of defence, trade and commerce and climate change.
Once they settled down at a special enclosure in the garden, Modi prepared tea for Obama as they continued their one-on-one discussion, reflecting heightened bonhomie between the two leaders.
"I share a personal chemistry with Barack. Relationships, chemistry matter more between leaders than commas and full-stops on paper," said Modi.
Earlier, Obama and his wife Michelle arrived in Delhi a little before 10 in the morning. Signalling his determination to take the relationship with the US to a higher level, Modi, breaking protocol, received them at the airport and greeted President Obama with a hug as the American President and the first lady came down the steps from Air Force One plane.
The two leaders also shook hands for the second meeting between them in less than five months. The first time they had met was in Washington when the Indian PM had gone there in September-October last year.
Obama has been invited by Modi to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations today. He will be the first US president to be the chief guest at the Republic Day parade. He is also the first US president to visit India twice while being in office.
Soon after his arrival, Obama was given a 21-gun salute in a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, where he greeted President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a 'namaste'.
"I am grateful for the extraordinary hospitality, it's a great honour to be back in India," the US president said after inspecting a Guard of Honour led by a woman officer of the Indian Air Force, Wing Commander Puja Thakur.
He also visited Rajghat where he paid tribute to the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi and planted a sapling.
Asked about his reception in India so far, Obama said, "It's hard to match this one."
Obama's presence at today's Republic Day parade of India is the latest revival in a roller-coaster relationship between the two largest democracies that just a year ago was in tatters.
Unprecedented security was in place for Obama visit and up to 50,000 security personnel have been deployed for the visit and 15,000 new closed-circuit surveillance cameras have been installed in the capital, according to local media reports.
The two sides have worked to reach agreements on climate change, taxation and defence cooperation in time for the visit.
Relations between India and the US had degenerated over trade protectionism and a diplomatic spat in 2013 over the arrest of an Indian lady diplomat in New York who was accused of under-paying her domestic help.
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