US Wants Nuclear Deal Executed Quickly

The U.S. said today that it wants strategic relations with India to reach new heights and to pursue strategic dialogue. Vice President Joe Biden will be visiting India in July.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, along with Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid, said today at a strategic joint press conference that after a fourth round of talks between the two countries, both are committed to achieving new heights. “I [am] pleased,” Kerry said, “that the United States and India reaffirmed our commitment to full and timely implementation of the civil nuclear deal.” Kerry maintained that bilateral ties between the two countries will be decisive in the 21st century. Kerry also invited Khurshid to visit the U.S. Kerry described the talks with Khurshid as very important. He said that collaborative efforts on defense, space, health, technology, education and energy issues were also discussed at length.

Kerry said his country wants to act quickly on a peaceful nuclear deal with India. He said that an agreement on atomic energy collaboration between the two countries should be accomplished by next September. The two sides also discussed the issue of climate change and decided to cooperate to work together in this area. Khurshid said they also discussed regional and global issues. They both discussed the satisfactory progress in the strategic dialogue between the two countries in the past few years. He said that in the next few months they will discuss several issues at different levels. They said that good work was done to promote better relations between the two countries.

On the Snowden Episode: A Threat to Russian and China

Any country harboring the U.S. intelligence agent Edward Snowden, who cracked and leaked information, will face the consequences. Kerry said the United States is expecting that no country will help Snowden avoid facing the charges of the law. Kerry mentioned that if China-ruled Hong Kong helped Snowden escape to Moscow intentionally, the consequences would be bad.

Iran’s New Leadership Is Not Complacent

Kerry warned Hasan Rohani, the newly elected president of Iran, that he was not mistaken about Iran’s nuclear program: The international community is not turning a blind eye. He said that Iran must prove its nuclear program is for peaceful purpose.

He said verbal commitments by themselves would not be enough.