India and Canada yesterday announced the conclusion of a civil nuclear deal, which will enable New Delhi to access Canadian nuclear technology and uranium.
The pact was announced after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart, Stephen, Harper met on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Port of Spain, capital of Trinidad and Tobago, the IANS news agency reported.
“We have now got an agreement which means this is a tremendous opportunity for both countries,” Harper said underlining it was a “tremendous step forward” in bilateral ties.
He said it would yet take “a little time to complete the legal text and ratification process.”
He said the agreement would allow Canadian firms to export and import controlled nuclear materials, equipment and technology to and from India.
The pact is likely to be signed when Singh goes to Canada to attend the G20 summit next June, where he will also hold bilateral talks with Harper on the margins.
Canada stopped nuclear cooperation with India in 1974 after its government used plutonium from a Canadian reactor to build an atomic bomb.
The 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group lifted a 34-year ban on India in September last year, even though it still refuses to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
India has signed civil nuclear agreements since then: the US, France, Russia, Kazakhstan, Namibia, Argentina and Mongolia.
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