Bush moves to lift nuke ban on India

US President George W. Bush (L) and First Lady Laura Bush (2nd L) look on as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (R) and his wife Gursharan Kaur wave Monday upon arrival at the White House in Washington for a state dinner. This is the first state visit by an Indian prime minister to Washington in five years. PHOTO: AFP

Bush said in a joint statement with the visiting Singh after talks here that he would "work to achieve full civil nuclear energy cooperation with India as it realises its goals of promoting nuclear power and achieving energy security."

The US leader said he would "seek agreement from Congress to adjust US laws and policies" and work with "friends and allies to adjust international regimes" for such cooperation and trade with India.

The United States had placed sanctions on India after its second round of nuclear tests in May 1998, but agreed after the September 11, 2001 attacks to waive those and other sanctions in return for support in the war on terrorism.

India is not a party to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT). US law bars export of technology that could aid a nuclear program of any country that has not signed the treaty.

Bush said nuclear cooperation could include "expeditious consideration of fuel supplies" to the US-built Tarapur nuclear power plant near India's commercial hub of Mumbai.

The Tarapur reactor is reportedly down to its last stock of fuel from Russia, which has expressed its inability to continue the supply because of US restrictions on India.

President Bush, according to the statement, "conveyed his appreciation" to Singh over India's strong commitment to preventing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and said that "as a responsible state with advanced nuclear technology, India should acquire the same benefits and advantages as other such states."

Singh, who arrived in Washin-gton Sunday on a four-day trip with all the trappings of a state visit, said his country would agree to "assume the same responsibilities and practices" as other leading nations with advanced nuclear technology.

They included separating civilian and military nuclear facilities and programs in a phased manner and placing its civilian facilities under safeguards imposed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the global nuclear watchdog.

Singh also pledged to maintain India's moratorium on nuclear testing.