NEW DELHI - India and the United States made good progress at talks to finalise the draft of a landmark nuclear agreement and a pact was expected to be concluded soon, officials of the two countries said on Wednesday.
The comments came at the end of three days of talks between negotiators seeking to iron out differences over the deal, which would allow sales of U.S. nuclear reactors and fuel to India.
"The talks were positive and constructive. We hope to conclude them as soon as possible," a U.S. embassy spokesman said.
"This was the first round of technical talks and each side has to go back, look at the drafts and figure out the next steps," he said. "The goal still remains to finish this as quickly as possible."
An Indian foreign ministry official echoed those views. He said New Delhi hoped the pact would be finalised in time for the U.S. Congress to approve it by mid-July.
The nuclear deal, agreed in principle last year to permit U.S. civil nuclear technology sales to India for the first time in three decades, has run into trouble in Washington.
U.S. Congressmen and non-proliferation experts have criticised the deal, saying it encourages atomic weapons proliferation and gives away too much to India, which has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
For the deal to take effect, Congress must change U.S. law and the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group must alter its rules.
In return, India has agreed to separate its civilian and military nuclear reactors and place the civilian ones under international safeguards.
India has been barred from obtaining foreign nuclear technology because it developed and tested nuclear weapons and did not sign the NPT.
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