Likening the existing barrier in nuclear cooperation with India to an "800-pound elephant", the United States has said conclusion of the Indo-US nuclear deal will be a "milestone" in the bilateral relations which will be pushed to the "next level".
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the landmark deal will eliminate the nuclear cooperation barrier, which was like an "800-pound elephant", and had existed as India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT) despite being a nuclear weapons state.
"The US-India civil nuclear deal would not be the end of moving the US-Indian relationship forward. We'll do more work on that and so will the next Secretary of State," she said in an interview to Forbes magazine, transcripts of which were released yesterday.
Likening diplomacy to gardening, Rice said "you have to tend your relationships with countries ... It is important to make certain that you are seeing your key allies on a regular basis, even if there is no particular crisis or work to be finished in that particular business." "But if you can conclude something like that (the nuclear deal) ... You've pushed it to the next level. And I'm always looking for the work that you can conclude to push something to the next level, push your relationship to the next level," Rice said.
Meanwhile, the Republican Party has welcomed America's new relationship with India and said the common security concerns and shared commitment to political freedom could be the foundation for an enduring partnership between the two countries."We welcome America's new relationship with India, including the US-India Civil Nuclear Accord. Our common security concerns and shared commitment to political freedom and representative government can be the foundation for an enduring partnership" the draft of the Party platform for 2008 has said.
The Grand Old Party (GOP) has been quite short this year on the status of Indo-US relations but managed to grasp the essence of the bilateral thrusts of a relationship that has deepened and widened the scope in last seven years of the Bush administration.In 2004, the GOP was more expansive about India making the point that since 2001 the US has started with a view of India as a "growing world power" with which Washington has common security interests and a shared and fundamental commitment to political freedom.
"Through a strong partnership with India, we can best address any differences and shape a dynamic future. The prospects for that partnership were further enhanced by the announcement this January of the "Next Steps in Strategic Partnership" between the United States and India, a new effort to further deepen and accelerate cooperation between our two nations" the Republicans said four years ago and going on to applaud the growing economic ties with India.
"Finally, we share the commitment to fighting terrorism and creating a strategically stable Asia," the GOP said in 2004.