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Finally, India and US have signed the 123 agreement on October 11, 2008. The historic deal was signed at the Benjamin Franklin Room of the State Department between external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee and US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. A function was organized to mark this historic occasion. This ends the long controversy-ridden process which began on July 18, 2005 during Manmohan Singh's visit to US.
Indian external affairs minister said that the signing of the deal is very significant for both India and US to strengthen the relation further and to promote sustainable development. Stating the 123 deal as path breaking Pranab Mukherjee said that the provisions of the deal are legally binding on both sides.
The N-deal is the first step to civil nuclear cooperation and trade between India and the US. According to Mukherjee, the deal will help India to strengthen its economic growth and sustainable development. Thereby India will be able to tackle the challenges of climate change and global warming. The deal will assist India to boost its industrial growth and bring useful developments in rural areas, he further added.
The external affairs minister eulogized the President of US, George W Bush, the American Congress and the Indian-American community without whose help the deal would not have been possible. Stating further about the US-Indo relation he said that New Delhi is planning to work with Washington in other fields also.
