Bilateral

Washington: India has declared that it is bound by only the bilateral 123 Agreement sealing its civil nuclear deal with the US and expressed confidence that Washington too will implement it "in good faith" under international law. "The Agreement reflects a careful balance of rights and obligations for both parties, India's External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said at a press conference in the Capital on Friday after signing the agreement with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

"We intend to implement this Agreement in good faith and in accordance with the principles of international law and I am confident that the US will also do the same," he said, asserting "its provisions are now legally binding on both sides once the Agreement enters into force".

Asked about the extent to which the agreement rested on interpretation and trust, Mukherjee said, "We are bound by the agreed text of the 123 Agreement, which is negotiated on the basis of the joint statements of President George Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July 2005 and March 2006.? "It's not a merely a question of interpretation. It's a question of agreed text," said Mukherjee, adding that his statement that India intended to implement the agreement "in good faith clearly implies we trust each other".

Asked if India was satisfied by Bush's fuel supply assurances, he said the text of the 123 Agreement provides for fuel assurances and this had been reiterated by the president's signing statement accompanying his assent to the US enabling law.

In reply to another question whether Mukherjee's assertion regarding 123 implied a rejection of the US Congress's approval resolution, which had a couple of riders regarding fuel supplies, the Indian minister reiterated, "We are bound by the agreement negotiated by two sovereign countries, and this is 123." As he had mentioned at the signing ceremony, Mukherjee said, "This is an agreement about civil nuclear cooperation and reflects a careful balance of rights and obligations on both sides, which we'll comply with."

Mukherjee also indicated that India would not mind the United States entering a civil nuclear deal with Pakistan, saying it believed every country has the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. "We will like to encourage civil nuclear cooperation for peaceful use of nuclear energy," said the minister. "We believe every country has the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes," he said when asked about Islamabad's demand for an India-like nuclear deal with the US.

In reply to another question about Pakistan's apprehensions about the nuclear deal, Mukherjee said India was determined to build good relations with Pakistan and was trying to resolve all outstanding issues between them through their composite dialogue process. (IANS)