US Ambassador to India David Mulford, currently in Washington to drum up support among lawmakers for the enabling legislation to facilitate the Indo-US nuclear agreement, has said that 60 percent of the bilateral civilian nuclear agreement -- the so-called 123 Agreement has been completed.
He said the remaining issues should be wrapped up in the next couple of weeks.
In a meeting with a few journalists following a working luncheon with members of the US-India Business Council, Mulford asked by rediff.com to elaborate on Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's statement on Monday that "our work is not yet done," and "now, we look forward to India fulfilling its remaining commitments under the agreements that we made on July 18th of last year," said, "I would say 60 percent of that negotiation is accomplished and we have the balance of it to do -- that is a question of scheduling."
He said this entails "bringing the people back together again, which we hope will be done in the next week or so," and predicted, "When that happens, I look forward to the bulk of those issues being resolved in the next round."
"So I don't think it's impossible that we would be in position to finish the 123 Agreement within a period of weeks and that we would then we able to move forward with the next phase," he added.
But he also acknowledged, "There is also the Nuclear Suppliers Group, India's safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency -- those initiatives have to be completed as well and all these things have to move together."
"But I am convinced that the momentum is strong and although I would agree with you that there is a lot left to be done, it is important to keep at the process to make sure that it gets done -- but it is doable, that's the important thing, with the right will, flexibility and energy on both sides, this is a deal that can be completed."
Mulford said the overwhelming majority with which the enabling legislation to facilitate the deal were adopted last month by the House International Relations and Senate Foreign Relations Committees are very positive. "They are very strong majorities, they are bipartisan and they are very important."
"Secondly, we know there are some outstanding issues that have to be resolved between the two bills -- that's not unusual," he said. "That is a process that will be done in conference."
Mulford acknowledged that "we are aware of the provisions that trouble the Indian government and we will work where possible to address these issues, bearing in mind of course, that the Congress of the United States is a sovereign body -- it's a branch of our government -- and they have their own ideas about some of these things and therefore we have to work the process through just as one would in India, which is also a democracy."
"The next phase, as you said, is to get floor votes in both these things that in effect result in the change of law," he told rediff.com, "and the next step is to complete the 123 negotiations -- the bilateral agreement -- and we've had paper exchanges, we've had meetings."