SME Times News Bureau | 31 Oct, 2009
Former US president George W. Bush, who played an instrumental role in the signing of the India-US nuclear deal, Saturday said the pact was New Delhi's "passport to the world".

Calling the accord "historic", Bush said at the HT Leadership Summit in New Delhi that it would provide India an opportunity to get energy without making pollution.

"(By signing the deal) the US recognised India's nuclear weapon's programme. It is India's passport to the world," said Bush.

"In 2006 we signed a historic accord.... India has now the opportunity to get energy without making pollution," said Bush.

The framework of the India-US civilian nuclear agreement was a July 18, 2005 joint statement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and then US president Bush. Under it, India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and place all its civil nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. In exchange, the US agreed to work towards full civil nuclear cooperation with India.