Click to play videoNew Delhi: India has admitted lack of progress in talks between India and US on key outstanding issues on the civil nuclear agreement, saying more work is required to bridge the remaining gap.
MEA spokesperson Navtej Sarna told a press conference on Wednesday that there has been no breakthrough in technical discussions between the two sides, which were held in London on May 21 and 22. The talks dealt with the key outstanding issues, but there was little progress.
"Both sides made further progress in the Indo-US nuclear deal. But more work is required to bridge the remaining work," Sarna said. He said no date has been fixed yet for the visit of Nicholas Burns, the US Under-Secretary, who is the key negotiator from the US side.
The London talks were yet another attempt to work through persistent serious differences over a nuclear cooperation agreement, Reuters quoted a US official as saying.
The official, who declined to be identified, said he had not received a full report on the talks but "there was not a lot of progress" when negotiators met on Monday.
The much-heralded agreement would give India access to US nuclear fuel and reactors for the first time in 30 years, even though New Delhi tested nuclear weapons and never signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
On May 1, the two countries claimed extensive progress during two days of talks in Washington aimed at salvaging their landmark deal, and Burns said he would "visit India in the second half of May to reach closure."
But last week, Burns postponed his trip, and the decision was made to send technical experts to London to continue working on the issues. The deal is the touchstone of new US-India relationship that Washington envisions as a pillar of 21st century international security, but its history has been rocky.
Obstacles have included a US Congress mandate that Washington halt nuclear cooperation if India tests a nuclear weapon as it did in 1998. Other disputed points have been US refusal to give India prior approval to allow reprocessing of spent fuel with US components and to assure permanent fuel supplies.
No Australian uranium for India
Australia has reiterated its refusal to sell uranium to India until it signs the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The latest salvo against India's reluctance to join the NPT framework has been fired by Australian Federal Resources Minister Ian Macfarlane.
The Australian politician told Melbourne newspaper, The Age, that the ban on uranium sale to India would remain in force
till the South Asian country signs the NPT.
"The answer is no," Macfarlane was quoted as saying by The Age. "The Australian uranium industry can prosper without India, that's my answer. We have a prohibition on the basis that they have not signed the NPT."
Speculation was rife that Australia may relax its policy of not selling fuel for the burgeoning Indian civil nuclear plants. The Indo-US agreement to transfer nuclear technology was seen as a probable indicator for Australia to allow uranium exports to India.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard has, however, been hinting at a relaxation in the policy of exporting uranium to India which is emerging as the leading trade partner for Australia.
India recently sent special "nuclear envoy" Shyam Sharan to negotiate the issue of uranium sales with Canberra. Australians seemed to have agreed in principal to facilitate the nuclear fuel exports.
"We see India as a very responsible country. The relationship between Australia and India is growing. It's a very important relationship. They will be considerations that we will bear in mind," Howard had said in response to Saran's mission.
However, the statement by the Australian Minister on Tuesday seems to have dragged the process back to square one. The Age also pointed out the apparent contradiction with the Australian Prime Minister's earlier statement.
"There has certainly been no discussion with me and I'm the guy who signs the export permits regarding the potential to supply India," Mcfarlane said, emphasising that he was simply reiterating this government's policy.
(With agency inputs)
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