Negotiations over the India-United States nuclear deal continued until “Air Force One landed in Delhi” carrying President Barack Obama. According to sources, the nuclear deal and other agreements announced during Mr. Obama’s visit to India for Republic Day were being finalised right down to the moment his plane touched down. “It was a good thing we were connected over the e-mail right through his flight, or we may not have been able to wrap things up in time,” said a source aware of the negotiations.

One week after the visit, details are slowly emerging about the agreements that were announced between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Mr. Obama after bilateral talks in Delhi. What seems clear is that while the talks were high on optics, and on optimism, there were several differences between India and the U.S. that prevented many deals announced from actually being signed, which is partly why President Obama referred to a “breakthrough understanding,” rather than just a “breakthrough.”

The nuclear deal, for example, was “hammered out” after officials in the nuclear contact group extended their negotiations in London right up to January 22. It consisted of an agreement on two separate issues: that of liability for U.S. suppliers in case of a nuclear incident, and administrative arrangements, or U.S. tracking requirements of fissile materials and equipment used in the reactors.

On liability, India offered to transfer the liability, capped at Rs. 1500 crore to an insurance pool created by state-owned insurers and the government.

Source: TH