US media sceptical about breakthrough in N deal

Washington: The US media reported with a degree of scepticism about President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming a “breakthrough” on the stalled nuclear deal and progress on climate change issues. Obama had “swept aside past friction with India” in seeking “to transform a fraught relationship marked by suspicion into an enduring partnership linking the world's oldest and largest democracies”, said the New York Times.

"A breakthrough on the nuclear issue would provide both leaders a tangible achievement from the visit," the influential daily said in a report from New Delhi. However, it noted "it was unclear whether American companies would agree the nuclear pact offered sufficient protection from potential liability in the case of mishaps to justify the investment".

The climate agreement also "included mostly minor initiatives compared with the deal Obama made with China last November", it said. Absent a broader commitment to goals like those agreed to by China, the Times said Obama hopes to enlist Modi's support for a United Nations climate change accord scheduled to be completed in Paris in December. "Obama's visit, his second as president, is a major event in India," it said.

The Washington Post said the nuclear deal "understanding, though short on specifics, moves toward resolving one of a number of nuclear-related issues that have hamstrung the countries for years". The Wall Street Journal, also noted that in reporting "breakthrough understandings" on two issues that were holding up progress, Obama or Modi "offered no specifics". The Los Angeles Times described the "breakthrough understanding" as "a sign of a quickening thaw between the two historically frosty democracies".

By:Arun Kumar