Asserting that it would not accept any conditionality that limits its strategic nuclear programme, India Friday made it clear that the exercise of separation of its civilian and military nuclear facilities would be its sole responsibility.
Official sources in New Delhi said the government was considering whether it was in a position to share with the US some kind of a road map that may be prepared to take forward the bilateral nuclear deal.
Official sources said that under the Indo-US agreement of July 18 paving the way of resumption of civilian nuclear energy cooperation, both sides had agreed that there would be no additional conditions in its implementation. If at any stage, government came to the conclusion that such separation was not viable, it was under no compulsion to do so, the sources said adding that under the agreement both countries had agreed to take reciprocal steps.
The sources clarified that under the agreement India has agreed to identify its civilian nuclear facilities, not the military ones. "We will not accept anything that limits our strategic programme," the sources said. New Delhi would, however, like to hopefully make some progress on the agreement before US President George W Bush's visit to India in the first quarter of next year, the sources said.
