'This agreement will accelerate the convergence of our two dynamic economies and alignment of two democracies in 21st century. It is win for the safety, win for the environment, and win for the economic growth and international security,' Tom Donohue, president and CEO of USCC, said.

'I want to say on behalf of the US Chamber of Commerce that we are going to spend all our resources, energy and do everything not only to keep this potential agreement on track but to nurture the relationship between two democracies that are in a position to affect the rest of the world. This is really serious and we are going to do it,' the head of the USCC, that reportedly counts three million companies worldwide among its members, said.

Donohue was speaking at the US-India Partnership Summit 2006 in New York May 3. The aim of the summit was to educate the American business community about the opportunities in India. Donohue said the transfer of high technology to India elevates the two countries to a new level of mutual respect, trust and engagement not seen between the two countries on many issues in the last 30 years.

Noting that the US India civilian nuclear cooperation initiative provides a vehicle by which India can develop nuclear technology in a peaceful and responsible way, he said the agreement was equally important for the United States.

'It is really important .... It is going to create tens of thousands of jobs for people that are going to build these power generation systems at home and abroad.'

As part of this agreement, he told the audience, India will allow international inspections of its civilian operations and support a multilateral cutoff of the use of some of these materials.

'We all know ... there are concerns about what's going on in Iran and other places in the world. What we are attempting to do here is to demonstrate what we can do to help economies and what developed, developing and civil societies can do to use modern technology,' he said, pointing out that it was critical to clean environment and global economic health.

'There are only 400 nuclear reactors around the world, and a quarter of them in the US, and we have people who want to shut them,' he said, adding that there is on the contrary a need for more.

'By all accounts, we are going to need 1,500 new nuclear power stations worldwide over the next 50 years. That is where jobs and technology, clean environment and economic growth is going to be,' Donohue said.

Donohue said there is a need to keep the heat on the US Congress, adding that he will put some more friendly pressure on Senator Hillary Clinton [Images] (D-NY). The Senator, he pointed out, has an extraordinary relationship with the Indian business community � but has not yet come out openly on what she thinks of the deal, he pointed out.

'I feel very positive about this deal... So, we are going to spend our time and energy to get it done.'

The nuclear deal | Chats