The Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) last night approved the landmark accord to implement the civil nuclear deal that will be inked by External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Washington.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at a meeting of his senior Cabinet colleagues in New Delhi discussed the final shape of the agreement and the accompanying statement by President George W Bush after which the go ahead was given for signing the agreement on Friday.
On Wednesday, Bush had signed into law the enabling Congressional legislation that approved the agreement.
The over two-hour long meeting, which was attended by Mukherjee, Defence Minister A K Antony, Home Minister Shivraj Patil and Railways minister Lalu Yadav is understood to have analysed Bush's statement threadbare on whether it met India's concerns, particularly over fuel supply assurances.
Addressing New Delhi's concerns on certain provisions in the US Congressional legislation on the nuclear deal, Bush assured India that the new law makes no changes on fuel supply assurance commitments or the terms of the 123 agreement.
Signing the bill into law at a ceremony in the White House, Bush said "the bill approves the 123 agreement I submitted to Congress and establishes the legal framework for that agreement to come into effect."
At the same time, he maintained that the agreement with India was consistent with the US Atomic Energy Act and other elements of the US law.
Concerns had arisen in India over fuel assurances after statements by officials in the US that these guarantees were merely political in nature and not legally binding.
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