Friday, December 9 2005 16:24 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Terming the Indo-US ties as being on a 'new level', Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca has said the landmark nuclear agreement between the two countries was 'well in train', brushing aside the notion that Washington is 'moving goal posts' and bringing new conditions for implementing it.

"We have begun the conversation on the civilian nuclear cooperation. There will be meetings coming up this month and next month where we'll start talking a little more concretely about how the plan might look like, how we move forward," she said in an exclusive interview to sources when asked about the July 18 agreement which is yet to be approved by the US Congress.

"We are very busy with conversation on Capitol Hill, the Think Tanks, with the Nuclear Suppliers Group, international partners and friends," Rocca said, while noting that there are 'lot of questions' in US Congress.

"I am optimistic as to where we are going," she said, adding the civilian nuclear arrangement is 'well in train' and hoping that legislation will come about in early 2006.

The agreement was signed in Washington on July 18 between Prime Minister Manmohan and President George W Bush, under which the US implicitly recognised India as a nuclear weapons state and agreed to supply fuel for the Tarapore reactors following a series of commitments by New Delhi, including that of separating civilian and military facilities.