'US committed to early implementation of N-deal'

India and the US have expressed their commitment to expeditious realisation of full potential of the Civil Nuclear Agreement during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's State visit which laid the foundation for further enhancing bilateral ties, External Affairs Minister S M Krishna told the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

Krishna said the visit was to reaffirm the importance that India attaches to its relations with the US and share its perspectives and concerns on key issues with the Obama administration. Making a statement in the House on the Prime Minister's visit to the US, Krishna said Singh had conveyed to President Barack Obama that the rapid socio-economic transformation underway in India holds several opportunities for mutually-

beneficial cooperation between the two countries in all areas.

The US President told Singh that strengthening relations with India was one of the highest priorities for his administration, Krishna said. Both sides reiterated their intention to realise the full potential of the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement signed on October 10, 2008, through speedy implementation of its provisions, he said.

The agreement is yet to be implemented as some key requirements have not been put in place. These include setting up of dedicated reprocessing facility under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards by India, enactment of liabilities legislation by India and giving an assurance on non-proliferation.