The India-US civilian nuclear deal would not impinge on this country's sovereignty and would be a pointer for the rest of the world to follow, a senior Bush Administration official contended Tuesday.

The pact 'is good for India...is good for the United States...is good for our mutual energy security...is good for the global non-proliferation system...(and) should not be viewed as a threat in any way to India's sovereignty or its nuclear programme,' US Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman maintained.

'The opposite is true...it is a major opportunity...and it is clear that the rest of the world will also benefit from India's active engagement in advancing new nuclear technology and on international non-proliferation efforts,' he added.

Bodman, who arrived here Tuesday on a three-day visit for discussions with Indian leaders on taking the deal forward, was speaking at an interactive session with top industrialists and MPs here.

Stating that 'India and the United States need each other', the official, who has had a long business association with India, went on to elucidate the benefits of such an engagement.

'India is a world-class designer, developer and builder of new nuclear technology. The talent and creativity of your scientific community is unsurpassed. India's achievements are truly remarkable given that it has pursued these advances independent of the larger international community.

'Therefore, it is clear that the United States has much to learn and much to gain from greater cooperation with India,' Bodman pointed out.

'At the same time, the US is home to the world's most powerful economy, and home to some of the world's most advanced industries. We too have made great advances in technology, safety and security that can greatly benefit India in this arena,' he stated.

In this context, he noted that India, the US and their international partners who together represent more than half the world's population, would soon begin construction of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) to validate fusion's potential to generate electrical power.

'India brings both financial and scientific resources - and more than 20 years of fusion research - to ITER. The United States is proud to call India a partner in this global scientific endeavour to unlock a clean and virtually limitless source of energy,' the secretary maintained.

Speaking about his association with this country, Bodman said: 'I've watched India with close interest.

'In the private sector, I did business here starting from the late 1980s. At Cabot Corporation, I was involved in dramatically expanding our operations here - most significantly at a plant located outside of Mumbai.

'What we recognised then was both the enormous potential of the Indian economy and the tremendous talent and promise of the Indian people,' Bodman said.

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