US still optimistic about N-deal with India

Facing timelines to finalise the civilian nuclear agreement with India, the US on Thursday expressed optimism about the deal getting cleared in the next several months, saying there was still time left with the Congress to see it through.

"We certainly believe it's still possible for this deal to move forward and for our Congress to have an opportunity to consider it," State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said.

"It ain't over until it's over. And Congress will be in session for quite a ways more this year and we would certainly hope to have an opportunity to present them with this agreement and give them a chance to vote on it," he added.

Casey said the deal strengthen the non-proliferation regimes.

"We continue to believe that the civil nuclear deal is good, not only for India and for the United States, but also good in terms of strengthening the non-proliferation regimes that are out there," Casey said.

He said the Indian political system has to make some decisions to finalise the deal.

"We do, though, respect the fact that there are still issues that the Indian political system needs to work through. And that's been the case for a while. But we certainly hope we can get there," Casey said.

Casey also appreciated the efforts former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, US Ambassador to India David Mulford and other officials of the Bush administration to move the deal forward.

"All of us very much appreciate the work and effort that Nick (Nicholas Burns), along with Ambassador Mulford and Richard Boucher and others have put, on the US side, into achieving this agreement and in trying to move it forward," Casey said.

Bush administration's chief interlocutor on the nuclear deal, Burns, quit his job as US under secretary of state for Political Affairs at the end of February.

"When Nick did announce his retirement from the Foreign Service, the secretary had said that he would be continuing to, kind of, work on some of these issues," the senior State Department official said.

"He (Burns) actually still is, I believe, for another week or so, an employee of the Department of State and is certainly keeping close tabs on this.

I expect that the secretary will continue to call on him for his advice and counsel, though, even after that," Casey said.

He said Burns did not directly participate in the meetings the Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had recently.

Asked who has been following this issue since the time of Burns, the deputy spokesman referred the names of Acting Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Daniel Fried, the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher and the American Ambassador in New Delhi David Mulford.