Click to play videoNew Delhi The first official word is out on the text of the Indo-US nuclear deal, which was hammered out by the two sides in Washington just few days ago.
Speaking exclusively to CNN-IBN on Devil's Advocate, M K Narayanan, the National Security Advisor, said that the personal chemistry between President Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh helped tilt the scales.
Karan Thapar: In which case, how conscious are you of the fact that President Bush and his administration have done for India something that perhaps no other government in the world or no other government in America would have been prepared to do? They had changed their law and they are going to change international laws for the benefit of one country alone.
M K Narayanan: I think that it's quite extraordinary and it has much to do with the personal chemistry between the President and the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. I think it's driven by personal equation, personal chemistry, personal relationship between the two countries because I find this has been the top down effort and if finally the US congress votes in favour of 123, I think it will be quite an extraordinary achievement.
Karan Thapar: Would you give any credit to Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the fact that the process started then.
M K Narayanan: Most certainly I think the process would never have taken off without the efforts of Prime Minister Vajpayee and his team.
Karan Thapar: Once the deal goes through and the Congress has proved it, what impact will it have on the wider Indo-US relationship.
M K Narayanan: I think it will transform India and US relationship to a different plane, and that depends entirely on either side wants to make out of the relationship.
Karan Thapar: But the opportunity of transformation is through.
M K Narayanan: I think the transformation has taken place to what extent you want to use it.
Karan Thapar:The two countries like to call each other strategic partners, and they start considering themselves allies.
M K Narayanan: We generally try to avoid it, the word allies because we've tried to follow an independent path but i think where the strategic interest converge, I suppose we would use that.
Karan Thapar: And interests will converge interestingly after that.
M K Narayanan: May or may not I presume they would.
Watch the exclusive interview with M K Narayanan in Devil's Advocate on Sunday at 8:30 PM.
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