WASHINGTON: After three years of tough negotiations, India and the US on October 11sealed the landmark civil nuclear deal, with New Delhi insisting that fuel supply assurances are "legally binding" on both the countries which have "responsibilities and obligations" to implement it. The 123 agreement, which operationalises the nuclear deal, was signed by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice here, paving the way for American companies to have a share in the multi-billion dollar Indian nuclear pie.

Speaking on the occasion, Rice said the nuclear deal demonstrates that "now there is nothing we cannot do." Mukherjee said: "We will implement this agreement in good faith. That clearly implies we trust each other." He said "Its (agreement's) provisions are now legally-binding on both sides once the agreement enters into force." Under Article 5.6 of the 123 agreement, the US has given an assurance to ensure uninterrupted fuel supplies to India for the lifetime of a reactor under IAEA safeguards.

The agreement also clearly spells out that if either country wants to cease civil nuclear cooperation, it will give one-year notice to the other, during which talks will be held to ascertain whether there were any compelling justified reasons to provoke such an action. Mukherjee refused to comment on the internal political process in the US, particularly after questions were raised over the future of the agreement if India conducts a nuclear test. "Every country has its own way of internal mechanism of fulfilling the constitutional obligation and also the process of legislation," he said.

Not against US-Pak deal

Expressing its determination to build "good relations" with Pakistan, India said there was no reason for Islamabad to be apprehensive about implications of the Indo-US nuclear deal as it was committed to non-proliferation and voluntary moratorium on testing. "So far as the apprehensions of Pakistan are concerned, I can assure you we are determined to build good relations with Pakistan; and in fact we are doing so through the mechanism of the composite dialogue. We are addressing all the outstanding issues between the two countries," Mukherjee said.

At a press conference after signing the bilateral 123 Agreement, Mukherjee said: "We believe every country has the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes." He was asked about Islamabad's demand for an India-like nuclear deal with the US. "We will like to encourage civil nuclear cooperation for peaceful use of nuclear energy," said Mukherjee "The foreign minister further said that India's commitment to non-proliferation is second to none while recalling that on September 5 he had reiterated New Delhi's commitment to a unilateral voluntary moratorium to nuclear tests declared in 1998 after India conducted five tests at Pokhran.

Rice remark: Ties improving US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that India and Pakistan have come a long way since escalated tensions in the subcontinent had led to a war-like situation in 2001. "Relations have improved a lot.

They've opened lines of communication in Kashmir, they've opened trade and bus traffic. There's still a lot of clashes along the Line of Control that separates Pakistanis and India in the region of Kashmir. But it is a lot better situation than it was in 2001 and 2002," Rice said. Rice also cited External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee's Islamabad visit soon after the swearing in of the Yousuf Raza Gilani government as a sign of improving relations between India and Pakistan. "Relations between India and Pakistan have been improving for some time.

They were improving under President Musharraf. And one of the first places that my Indian colleague, the Foreign Minister Mukherjee, went was Pakistan right after the Pakistani government was sworn in," she said.