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As uncertainty over the fate of the civil nuclear deal continues, the United States has said the pact is likely to clear the hurdles at International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers' Group, but the 'main stumbling block' is the internal political process in India.
"If the Indian government approves it, I do think that then what remains is to get an agreement with the IAEA and with the Nuclear Suppliers' Group. But I think those things are definitely feasible," Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte said.
"Right now the main stumbling block is the internal Indian political process. And they are going to have to work that out," he said.
The top US official said the Indian government was 'committed' to the civil nuclear deal but it is being held up in the political process.
"At the moment, it's held up in the Indian political process... and they are having difficulty," Negroponte said, appearing in the Charlie Rose Show of PBS.
"The government is committed to it. But they have got their own coalition politics and political considerations to take into account," Negroponte said.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said the US is 'never' going to declare the deal with India 'dead' because the arrangement is 'critically important'.
Perino made the statement when she was asked to comment on a perception in some quarters that the deal may be dead for reasons including the time left to process the initiative in the US Congress.
"We are never going to declare it dead because we think it's critically important," Perino said at her briefing.
"We are appreciative that the Indians are reconsidering their position