Click to play videoNew Delhi: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has qualified the recent visit of the Chinese President Hu Jintao to India was 'reasonably satisfactory'.
In an exclusive interview to Karan Thapar on Devil’s Advocate Pranab Mukherjee has said that India, China friendship and close relationship is essential for global stabilisation and regional stabilisation.
Pranab Mukherjee also said that he believes that the US is as keen to complete the Indo-US nuclear deal by addressing India's concerns as India is.
Karan Thapar: How would you sum up the visit that has just ended. Would you say that it's a success?
Pranab Mukherjee: It was a reasonably satisfactory meeting. I must say that after ten years the Chinese President visited India. We have achieved certain positive achievements. For instance, the bilateral trade. The target has been fixed to reach $40 billion by 2010 It has been recognised, and repeatedly the Chinese President referred in his public utterances, that India-China friendship and close relationship is essential for global stabilisation and regional stabilisation.
Karan Thapar: In which case why do you call it only reasonably satisfactory? Why that qualifying adjective?
Pranab Mukherjee: I think reasonably satisfactory is quite a good word.
Karan Thapar: After the Indian Prime Minister's speech on August 17, where he made clear that India wants the full civil nuclear fuel cycle, including enrichment, reprocessing and heavy water technologies and the right to reprocess spent fuel of US origin, isn't India's position in apparent conflict with US policies on these issues?
Pranab Mukherjee: Why should we bother about apparent conflict? What we should bother about is what is going to be the ground reality. I am afraid if they did not want to do it (grant a waiver to US policies) there was no point in making this exercise at all. Everyone knows what is their policy and when the US agreed and when the US establishment went all out to see that the deal gets congressional approval there are reasons behind that. Our position is also known to them. They are also fully aware of their own positions, their policies. Their policies existed before the negotiations started. Their policies have not suddenly cropped up after July 18 2005 and March 2006. Therefore when the talks are going on both sides know what is their policy. We know what is their policy. They know what is our parameters.
Watch the entire interview on Devil's Advocate on Sunday at 2030 hrs, IST.
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