Friday, March 17 2006 18:09 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: India's nuclear deal with the US should be no cause of concern for Pakistan and China as it leaves New Delhi's strategic nuclear capabilities unchanged, National Security Adviser M K Narayanan has said.

Also, he rebutted suggestions that the US is using India to contain China, saying no American leader had spoken on such terms during President George W Bush's visit this month to India.

"President Bush did not raise this issue even once. Nor has (US National Security Adviser Stephen) Hadley or (US Secretary of State) Condoleezza Rice. We are certainly not there in any game of containing China or Pakistan," Narayanan said in an interview to the news magazine.

The nuclear deal sealed with the US during Bush's visit to the country does not influence India's nuclear programme, he said. Rather, it has put a large number of reactors under international safeguards, Narayanan added.

"The strategic part (of our nuclear programme) is unaffected, whether we are in it (nuclear deal) or not. So neither China nor Pakistan has any reason to feel more concerned," Narayanan remarked when asked the neighbours did not seem to be pleased with India's landmark pact with the United States.

The National Security Adviser

The National Security Adviser also described as "convoluted" suggestions that China was probably concerned about a possible new push to India's economic potential from the deal.

"It is not like the question of a seat in the Security Council. By getting civil nuclear cooperation, you are one among many countries," he said.

Also, India only believes in keeping the required deterrence, Narayanan added.

"Our capacity to threaten them (Pakistan and China) is less (now). But we are not threatening anybody. We are only keeping something with us so that we can strike back if somebody does that."

Narayanan, one of the chief negotiators of the India-US agreement, said he was hopeful that boundary talks with China too would have positive results.

Both countries, he added, were creating a framework aimed at resolving the issues facing them before they moved ahead for actual delineation of their borders.

"It is a difficult task. Finally things will work out like the nuclear deal. If the political leaderships on are willing to find a way, it is easier for the negotiators," Narayanan remarked.

The National Security Adviser, who described China as a "primary Asian power", however, said India was placed much better than its giant neighbour in terms of its ties with South-East and East Asian countries.

"They (the Chinese) are building up their contacts and linkages. But if you take the whole of South-East and even East Asia, people find India far more comfortable (to deal) with," he said.