Negotiations of global nuclear deals ongoing

India said yesterday it was negotiating agreements to buy nuclear technology and facilities from countries such as France and Russia, days after winning a waiver on a ban that had stopped it from accessing the global atomic market.

Actual deals would be signed only after a bilateral civilian nuclear agreement between India and United States is ratified by the US Congress, the foreign ministry said.

The bilateral deal, which will allow India access to American nuclear fuel and technology, turns a new chapter in India's relations with the West, which imposed a ban on atomic trade with India after New Delhi tested nuclear devices three decades ago.