India and the US Monday agreed to move ahead towards a non-discriminatory, internationally and effectively verifiable Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty and pledged to cooperate to prevent nuclear terrorism.
This was decided during the hour-long talks between External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton here.
The two leaders "agreed to move ahead in the Conference on Disarmament towards a non-discriminatory, internationally and effectively verifiable Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty", a joint statement issued after the talks said.
Both the countries also decided to cooperate to prevent nuclear terrorism and address challenges of global nuclear proliferation, it said.
The two leaders also inked the Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) which would enable launching of civil or non-commercial satellites containing US components on Indian space launch vehicles.
Since the components and satellites will have to be integrated with ISRO's launch vehicles, the TSA will provide for monitoring by the US side to ensure against diversion or misuse of equipment.
India and the US also affirmed their commitment to work together with other countries, including through the Major Economies Forum, for positive results in the UNFCCC Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen in December.
Reflecting the US' desire to broaden and deepen ties with India, President Barack Obama has invited Singh to Washington on November 24, making the first State visit during the new administration.
Clinton said Singh had informed her about India's decision to allocate two sites for US civil nuclear reactors.
"This will advance the pace of Indo-US civil nuclear agreement which will facilitate billions of dollars in US reactor exports in creating jobs in both the US and India as well as creating the much-needed energy in India," she said.
Addressing a joint press conference with Krishna after their hour-long talks, she hoped India would be ready for the Liabilities Agreement in the nuclear field.
To a question, she said the recent resolution of G-8 countries to curb transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technology and equipment would not "undermine" the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, to which the Obama administration was committed.
"We have just completed a civil nuclear deal with India.
So if it (ENR transfer) is done within the appropriate channels and carefully safeguarded, as it is in the case of India, that is appropriate," the Secretary of State said.
"But we are very much opposed to unauthorised and inappropriate transfers that unfortunately can take place by certain countries or non state actors doing so.
So there is a right way to do it and there is wrong way to do it," she said.
Clinton added that the US is "seeking advice and suggestions from India about how we can prevent the unauthorised and dangerous transfer of nuke technology and material which poses a threat to the entire world".
She recalled Obama's message that the Indo-US cooperation would be the "driver of progress in the 21st century".
"We share a common trait by rolling up our sleeves and
getting things done," she said.
Krishna said India and the US regard each other as global partners and can play a "leading and constructive role on the global level in addressing the urgent global challenges of our times."
On Iran, Clinton said India and the US have "exactly the same position" as neither wants it to acquire nuclear weapon.
"There is no difference in our positions.
Our policy is in sync (with that of India)," she said, while pointing out that the Prime Minister had publicly stated that India does not want to see Iran attain nuclear weapons.
"And in the discussions today and in the discussions to come we are going to be exploring with India their approach and perspectives to our demand and any advice that they can contribute to what is now an international consensus about the dangers posed to global stability if Iran is going to become a nuclear weapons power," she said, adding, "there is a lot to discuss and we intend to do so".