Deeper U.S.-India space, nuclear cooperation unveiled

Deeper U.S.-India space, nuclear cooperation unveiled

Agence France-Presse, Monterrey, Mexico

U.S. President George W. Bush announced on Monday that the United
States and India would deepen cooperation on civilian nuclear
activities, civilian space programs and high-technology trade.

In a statement released on the margins of the Summit of the
Americas here, Bush said he and Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari
Vajpayee had also agreed "to expand our dialog on missile
defense."

"Cooperation in these areas will deepen the ties of commerce
and friendship between our two nations, and will increase
stability in Asia and beyond," the president said.

The two nations will take "a series of reciprocal steps,"
including expanded engagement on nuclear regulatory and safety
issues, missile defense, and seek ways to enhance cooperation in
peaceful uses of space technology, said Bush.

On the high-technology trade front, the two sides will tighten
restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of weapons of mass
destruction.

Bush called the expanded cooperation "an important milestone
in transforming the relationship between the United States and
India. That relationship is based increasingly on common values
and common interests."

"We are working together to promote global peace and
prosperity," he said. "We are partners in the war on terrorism
and we are partners in controlling the proliferation of weapons
of mass destruction and the means to deliver them."

In Washington, a senior State Department official said the
"strategic partnership" agreement was the result of discussions
begun between Bush and Vajpayee in 2001 but stressed that it
would be at least months and maybe years before it would come to
meaningful fruition.

"My guess is this is going to take some months if not some
years to play out because there is a lot of work to be done to
fill out the details here," the official told reporters on
condition of anonymity.

To benefit, India must enact or tighten up its export control
laws to ensure that Indian firms do not transfer sensitive
technology to suspect nations, groups or individuals, the
official said.

"What we're offering is contingent on specific steps on the
part of India to protect against diversion or unauthorized use of
any U.S. exports and to address our broader export control
concerns," the official said.

The official said the agreement was unrelated to recent
progress on India's resuming a dialog with nuclear rival Pakistan
over the disputed region of Kashmir, over which the two countries
have fought to of their three wars.

And the official insisted that the deal did not constitute
tacit U.S. approval or acceptance of India's nuclear weapons or
ballistic missile programs.

"This is not about diminishing in any way our concern about
India's nuclear weapons or ballistic missile programs," the
official said, adding that U.S. assistance to such developments
was precluded.