US and India Complete Civil Nuclear Negotiations

United States and India Complete Civil Nuclear Negotiations

Joint Statement by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Indian Minister of External Affairs Shri Pranab Mukherjee
Washington, DC
July 27, 2007

The United States and India have reached a historic milestone in their
strategic partnership by completing negotiations on the bilateral agreement for
peaceful nuclear cooperation, also known as the 123 agreement.

This agreement will govern civil nuclear trade between our two countries and
open the door for American and Indian firms to participate in each other’
s civil nuclear energy sector.

The conclusion of negotiations on this agreement marks a major step forward in
fulfilling the promise of full civil nuclear cooperation as envisioned by
President Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The successful completion of the text permits us to move forward on the
U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation initiative, first announced by the two
leaders on July 18, 2005, and reaffirmed on March 2, 2006. The next steps
include India’s negotiation of a safeguards agreement with the IAEA and
support for nuclear trade with India in the forty-five member Nuclear Suppliers
Group. Once these additional actions have been completed, President Bush will
submit the text of the agreement to the U.S. Congress for final approval.

Civil nuclear cooperation between the United States and India will offer
enormous strategic and economic benefits to both countries, including enhanced
energy security, a more environmentally-friendly energy source, greater
economic opportunities, and more robust nonproliferation efforts.

This achievement reinforces the growing bilateral relationship between two
vibrant democracies. We are committed to the strategic partnership outlined by
President Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and look forward to working
together to implement this historic initiative.

ends

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