The year 2007 did not turn out to be much different than 2006 in that much of the time was spent on figuring out whether Washington and New Delhi will come to terms with the so-called 123 Agreement that would formalize the Henry J Hyde Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act that the President George W Bush signed into law.
For a full six months or a little over after the 123 Agreement or the HR 5682 of 2006 was signed into law the governments in Washington and New Delhi saw negotiators on both sides wrestle with the intricacies of the subject.
In the realm of defense cooperation the “hot transfer” of the USS Trenton, the Landing Platform Dock to the Indian Navy on January 17, 2007 was seen as a significant event.
The legislation to facilitate a new and expanded era in bilateral relations between India and the US was passed on the last day of the lame duck session of the 109th Congress in the final days of 2006 did not mean that lingering suspicions were removed with the thumping nods from the House of Representatives and the United States Senate.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
Some lawmakers in the United States remained unconvinced, as did a section of the political and scientific community in India on what it is that the Hyde Act did or did not do with the Joint Statements of India and the United States.