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Ahead of US Under Secretary for Political Affairs William Burns’s visit next week, India and the US are known to have resolved their differences on “substantive issues” over the End-user Verification Agreement between the two countries. Crucial to the India-US Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement as well as Defence Cooperation Agreement, the legal experts of both the countries are working on the End-user Verification Agreement.
According to sources, both the sides are seeking agreeable “legal formulation”. The finally drafted agreement papers shall be sent for approval to the Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
An important issue in the agreement is related to allowing the US to inspect sensitive articles it sells to India. Sources said, “It is more of a legal and a drafting issue”.
As per sources, India wants that on-site inspections should not be made mandatory, allowing the US to inspect them at alternative locations.
New Delhi is working on the issues and experts are trying to come up with suitable solution that takes care of US laws and respects domestic sensitivities here.
New Delhi and Washington both are keen to ink the agreement during US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit in July.
She is expected to be in India on July 20 when India hopes to get an understanding of the Obama Administration’s position on Pakistan and other key issues.
Clinton’s two-day visit is being accorded “special importance” since it will be the first detailed interaction with a top-level member of the new administration, although the PM and President Obama met for a general exchange of views in London on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in April. indianexpress.com
June 4, 2009
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