WASHINGTON (AFP)--The U.S. hoped Wednesday that India would soon
announce the location of two sites for U.S. firms to build
multi-billion dollar nuclear power plants, in line with a landmark
deal struck last year.
The announcement could be made when U.S. Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton visits Mumbai and New Delhi from Friday through
Monday, according to Robert Blake, her point man for relations with
India and neighboring countries.
"We hope that (we) will be in a position to announce publicly
those two sites where U.S. companies can have exclusive rights to
locate reactors and sell reactors to the Indians," Blake told
reporters ahead of the trip.
"That's a major opportunity for American companies, and opens up
as much as 10 billion dollars worth of exports to India," said
Blake, the assistant secretary of state for south Asian
affairs.
The Wall Street Journal, quoting people familiar with the issue,
reported Wednesday that India has already chosen sites for the
U.S.-built reactors.
But it said the announcement probably won't lead to immediate
contracts for firms like GE-Hitachi and Westinghouse Electric Co.
to begin building plants.
In October, then secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and her
Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee signed a pact to open up sales
of civilian nuclear technology to India for the first time in three
decades.
The deal offers India access to U.S. technology and cheap atomic
energy in return for allowing U.N. inspections of some of its
civilian nuclear facilities - but not military nuclear sites.
Blake also raised hopes for a deal on "end-use monitoring" that
analysts say would clear the way for military sales because it
would allow Washington to make sure military equipment is used for
its stated purpose.
"We hope to be able to sign that and obviously that would take
place on Monday of next week," Blake told reporters when asked
about the chances for such a deal.
Evan Feigenbaum, who was deputy assistant secretary of state for
south Asia under the administration of George W. Bush, said the
deal got "hung up on some technicalities...and the clock basically
ran out" when Bush left office.