India says it is not against US-Pakistan nuclear deal

Washington: External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has indicated that India would not mind the United States entering a civil nuclear deal with Pakistan. At a press conference after signing the bilateral 123 Agreement with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Friday night, Mukherjee said: "We believe every country has the right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes." Mukherjee's statement was in response to a question asked about Islamabad's demand for an India-like nuclear deal with the US. "We will like to encourage civil nuclear cooperation for peaceful use of nuclear energy," said Mukherjee. "India is determined to build good relations with Pakistan and is trying to resolve all outstanding issues between them through their composite dialogue process," said Mukherjee in reply to another question about... [read full story]