N-deal: India, US may finalise reprocessing pact in 10-12 days

India and the US are expected to finalise a crucial agreement on reprocessing under the landmark civil nuclear deal in 10-12 days, with all but one issue being resolved and negotiations centring around finalising a mutually acceptable legal text.

“We have arrived into the last stage of negotations... only one issue remains, that of finalising the legal text,” National Security Adviser M K Narayanan told journalists accompanying the Prime Minister on his return home from a two-nation tour of the US and Trinidad and Tobago.

The two sides were racing against time to conclude the agreement for setting up of dedicated reprocessing facility in India before the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama in Washington on Tuesday but could not do so.

The setting up of reprocessing facility under IAEA safeguards is a key requirement for implementation of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal that was signed last year. Negotiations had gained momentum after intervention at the highest level, Narayanan said.