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New Delhi: India has been given until the end of May to finalise a landmark nuclear energy deal with the United States, a US diplomat said on Wednesday, adding that lawmakers will require time to debate the pact.
With the upcoming US elections in November, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher haws said India needs to complete two final steps by May to give the US Congress enough time to discuss the pact.
The steps Boucher referred to are India signing separate deals with the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers' Group, a collection of countries that export nuclear material, both of which are necessary before Congress can sanction the agreement.
Boucher told reporters: "It is still possible to do all these things, but they're each going to require an accelerated timetable and a lot of effort.”
This renewed American pressure comes as India's prime minister said he was still trying to reverse fierce domestic opposition to the deal, which both sides had hoped to sign before the end of last year.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told lawmakers that negotiations with the IAEA were underway and that all measures to reach a consensus will be taken before moving forward.
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