U.S. President phones Indian PM to discuss civil nuclear deal

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh received a phone call from U.S. President George W. Bush Monday evening and the two discussed issues including the civil nuclear deal.

The Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release that in the telephone conversation which lasted 10 minutes, the two discussed issues of the India-U.S. Civil Nuclear Cooperation understanding, the Doha Round of trade negotiations, developments in the region including Pakistan and Afghanistan, and recent developments in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The Indo-U.S. civil nuclear deal is pending in the Senate of U. S. Congress now.

According to Indo-Asian News Service, Bush assured Manmohan Singh that his administration was committed to taking the nuclear deal forward and hoped for a Senate vote on the nuclear deal after the Congressional elections.

Early this month, U.S. Ambassador to India David C. Mulford said that both Republicans and Democrats were trying their best to see that the deal is put to vote when the U.S. Congress meets for its lameduck session in November.

"If the deal does not get the Senate vote and the presidential signature this year, the whole Congressional process will have to start all over again next year after a new Congress is elected," Mulford said.

Source: Xinhua