Leaders' chemistry sealed India nukes deal
NEW DELHI—One reason the United States and India reached agreement on a potentially far-reaching nuclear deal today is the rapport between President Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, diplomats for both sides say.
The deal is designed to promote civilian nuclear cooperation between the two nations and minimize India's use of fossil fuels. Congress must approve before it can go into effect. A senior Indian diplomat tells U.S. News that Bush and Singh get along very well, and this gave the deal a much-needed push in the final negotiations in New Delhi, where Bush made a state visit this week.
What the two men have in common includes a commitment to free markets, fighting terrorism, and fostering "a better atmosphere in our region," the diplomat says.
Both also consider themselves straight talkers and reformers. U.S. officials say Bush sees his bespectacled, gray-bearded counterpart as a man of great determination and a visionary, which is how Bush thinks of himself. But the prime minister is not eager for one of the biggest perks that the president has to offer–an invitation to the Bush ranch in Texas.
Singh, an Oxford-trained economist, is not a fan of the cedar-chopping outdoor work that Bush enjoys and wouldn't like the isolation for which the ranch is known. "What would he do there?" asks the Indian diplomat.
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