On his first visit to India, the US president pledged "collaboration against terrorism" and together with the Indian premier, he criticised the human rights situation of Myanmar and Nepal.
New Delhi (AsiaNews/Agencies) A "historic" agreement, "difficult but necessary for all parties involved". This is how the President of the United States, George W. Bush, and the Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, announced, at a press conference, the signing of a "civil nuclear cooperation" deal between the two countries.
The decision of the two leaders will allow India if the US Congress gives the green light access to US nuclear technology. Singh said the agreement called on India to "identify beforehand nuclear installations for civil purposes" which must be "always open to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency". The deal also provides for the "exportation of US-registered energy and nuclear technology to India".
The "restrictions", and the possibility that the US Congress may be against the deal, arise from the fact that New Delhi has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty and several political analysts fear the agreement "could send the wrong message to Tehran".
Meeting journalists, Bush said "economic links between the two countries are constantly growing" and he promised "free and continuous exchange of information on terrorism".
The two heads of state declared themselves to be "against the deplorable state of human rights in Myanmar" and called on "all countries to pursue the liberation of Aung San Suu Kyi", the human rights activist and Nobel peace laureate who has been under house arrest since May 2003.
"As for Nepal, we are convinced that the Maoists should give up violence and the king to reach out to political parties with the aim of restoring democratic institutions," added Bush.