Headlines
Timeline: India-US civil nuclear agreement
New Delhi, Jan 25
Following is the chronology
of events in the India-US civil nuclear agreement since it was conceived
by then Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh and then US president
George W Bush in July 2005.July 18, 2005: Bush and Singh first announce
their intention to enter into a civil nuclear agreement in Washington.
March 1, 2006: Bush visits India for the first time.
March
3, 2006: Bush and Singh issue a joint statement on their growing
strategic partnership, emphasising their agreement on civil nuclear
cooperation.
July 26, 2006: The US House of Representatives
passes the 'Henry J Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy
Cooperation Act of 2006,' which stipulates that Washington will
cooperate with New Delhi on nuclear issues and exempt it from signing
the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
July 28, 2006: The Left parties demand threadbare discussion on the issue in Parliament.
Nov
16, 2006: The US Senate passes the 'United States-India Peaceful Atomic
Energy Cooperation and US Additional Protocol Implementation Act' to
"exempt from certain requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954
United States exports of nuclear materials, equipment, and technology to
India".
Dec 18, 2006: President Bush signs into law congressional legislation on Indian atomic energy.
July 27, 2007: Negotiations on a bilateral agreement between the US and India conclude.
Aug
3, 2007: The text of the 'Agreement for Cooperation between the
Government of the United States of America and the Government of India
concerning peaceful uses of nuclear energy' (123 Agreement) is released
by both governments.
Aug 13, 2007: Manmohan Singh makes a suo motu statement in Parliament on the deal.
Aug
17, 2007: CPI (M) general secretary Prakash Karat says the 'honeymoon
(with government) may be over but the marriage can go on'.
Sep 4, 2007: UPA-Left committee to discuss civil nuclear deal set up.
Feb 25, 2008: Left parties say the UPA would have to choose between the deal and its government's stability.
April
23, 2008: US government says it will seek the sense of the House on the
123 Agreement before it is taken up for ratification by the American
Congress.
July 9, 2008: The draft India-specific safeguards accord with the IAEA circulated to IAEA's Board of Governors for approval.
July 10, 2008: Manmohan Singh calls for a vote of confidence in Parliament.
July 14, 2008: The IAEA says it will meet on Aug 1 to consider the India-specific safeguards agreement.
July
24, 2008: India launches full blast lobbying among the 45-nation
Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) for an exemption for nuclear commerce.
Aug 1, 2008: IAEA Board of Governors adopts India-specific safeguards agreement unanimously.
Sep 11, 2008: President Bush sends the text of 123 Agreement to the US Congress for final approval.
Sep
12, 2008: US remains silent over the controversy in India triggered by
Bush's assertions that nuclear fuel supply assurances to New Delhi under
the deal were only political commitments and not legally binding.
Sep 18, 2008: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee starts a crucial hearing on the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Sep
26, 2008: Singh meets Bush at the White House, but they are not able to
sign the nuclear deal as the US Congress did not approve it.
Sep
27, 2008: House of Representatives approves the Indo-US nuclear deal.
In all, 298 members voted for the Bill while 117 voted against it.
Oct 4, 2008: White House announces that Bush will sign the legislation on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal into a law on Oct 8.
Oct 8, 2008: Bush signs legislation to enact the landmark US-India
civil nuclear agreement.
Jan
25, 2014: US President Barack Obama says the US and India have reached a
breakthrough and they are moving towards commercial cooperation in the
civil nuclear energy deal.
The deal is done, says Indian Foreign Secretary Sujath