N-deal made only for India: US Asst Secretary of State

GOOD DEAL: US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher says India and US should celebrate the deal.

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New Delhi: US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher says the Indo-US nuclear deal is a unique arrangement made for India alone.

"Let's stop for a moment and celebrate before we start discussing the bits and pieces of it. Essentially what this legislation does is, it lets us go forward and let us ratify the deal and finish it up. It gives us the approval of our Congress. Let's just put the deal into effect," Boucher says.

"The bill that went through the Congress authorises us to finalise and finish off 123 text and to put it into effect. That's what is going to be in effect. Those are the commitments and we stand by our commitments," he says.

Boucher also credits India's clean non-proliferation record for the deal.

"We have always said that this is a unique arrangement based on India's needs, India's developments, based on India's non-proliferation record. This has to do with India and no body else," Boucher adds.

Following the passage of the deal in the US Senate on Thursday, Pakistan also wants a similar deal.

India and US can now engage in nuclear trade after a three-decade nuclear isolation of India.

The deal it allows India access to US civil nuclear fuel and technology although it has never signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Under the amendment, India must separate its civil and military nuclear facilities, and submit civil facilities to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The agreement means other countries can sell India nuclear technology and fuel. India has already signed a civil nuclear cooperation deal with France on September 30.