By Manish Chand
Washington, Nov 25 (IANS) India and the US Tuesday reaffirmed their resolve to fully implement the nuclear deal as soon as possible, but a crucial nuclear reprocessing pact could not be finalised due to minor differences over some key aspects of the agreement.

“I reaffirmed to the prime minister my administration’s commitment to fully implement the US-India civil nuclear agreement, which will increase American exports and create jobs in both countries,” US President Barack Obama said at a joint press conference with the visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in the East Room of the White House.

“We agreed to an early and full implementation of our civil nuclear agreement,” Manmohan Singh said after nearly one-hour discussion with Obama on issues ranging from terrorism and energy security to climate change, nuclear deal and nuclear proliferation.

“President has reaffirmed that it’s the common resolve of our two countries to operationalise the deal,” Manmohan Singh said while referring to the path-breaking civil nuclear agreement, signed last year, that transformed relations between the two countries.

“There are still some I’s and some T’s to be crossed out. I have assurances that the process will be completed without further loss of time,” Manmohan Singh said in a alluding to a crucial pact on reprocessing spent fuel which the two sides were negotiating till the last moment, but failed to reach an agreement.

The differences between the two sides had been narrowed down to one and a half clause in the draft text for an agreement on reprocessing spent fuel in a dedicated national facility under international safeguards, sources said.

The conclusion of the reprocessing pact, a key US commitment under the 123 bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement, would pave the way for the resumption of atomic trade between the two countries. Last month, India announced two sites for US nuclear companies in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.

A civil liability legislation, the last remaining obligation on part of India, that aims at limiting damages to American nuclear companies in case of nuclear accidents is expected to be passed in the winter session of the Indian parliament.

Manmohan Singh linked the implementation of the nuclear deal with the removal of the remaining restrictions on the transfer of high-technology items.

“Our strategic partnership should facilitate the transfer of high technologies to India,” he said.

Singh said that the “lifting of US export control on high technology exports to India will open vast opportunities for joint research and development efforts”, adding that it will also benefit the US industry from the rapid technological transformation that is underway in India.