Pranab heads to Washington to sign 123 pact

New Delhi: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee leaves for Washington on Friday morning to sign the bilateral 123 civil nuclear cooperation agreement with the US.

With the US enabling law on the India-US civil nuclear deal in place, Mukherjee and US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice will ink the bilateral 123 Agreement at 4 pm Friday in Washington (1:30 am IST on Saturday).

The historic agreement, opening nuclear trade between the two countries that was over three years in the making, would be signed in the Benjamin Franklin Room of the State Department.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) on Thursday night approved the landmark accord to implement the civil nuclear deal.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a meeting of his senior cabinet colleagues here discussed the final shape of the agreement and the accompanying statement by President George W Bush after which the go ahead was given for signing the agreement on Friday. Bush on Thursday signed into law the enabling Congressional legislation that approved the agreement.

Bush allays Indian concerns over fuel supply, reprocessing

The over two-hour long meeting, which was attended by Mukherjee, Defence Minister A K Antony, Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Railways Minister Lalu Yadav, is understood to have analysed Bush's statement threadbare on whether it met India's concerns, particularly over fuel supply assurances.

Addressing New Delhi's concerns on certain provisions in the US Congressional legislation on the nuclear deal, Bush assured India that the new law made no changes on fuel supply assurance commitments or the terms of the 123 Agreement.

Signing the Bill into law at a ceremony in the White House, Bush said, "The Bill approves the 123 Agreement I submitted to Congress and establishes the legal framework for that agreement to come into effect."

Full coverage: Nuclear deal

At the same time, he maintained that the agreement with India was consistent with the US Atomic Energy Act and other elements of the US law.

Concerns had arisen in India over fuel assurances after statements by officials in the US that these guarantees were merely political in nature and not legally binding.