Civil nuclear pact between South Korea, India finalised

HANOI - An agreement on civil nuclear cooperation between India and South Korea has been finalised and now awaits signature, National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon said Friday after a meeting between leaders of the two countries.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who met here on the sidelines of the Asean Summit, reviewed their bilateral relationship and discussed the progress made on issues since the South Korean leader visited India as the chief guest on Republic Day this year.

In the meeting with the South Korean president, they again reviewed the bilateral relationship and the considerable progress that has been made in the relationship since President Lee visited India as the chief guest on Republic Day, Menon told reporters.

Since then we have agreed on the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement; we have also finalised an agreement on cooperation in civil uses of nuclear energy which now awaits signature, Menon added.

He noted that considerable progress had been made in cooperation in civil aviation and space, and several areas. The economic relationship too is moving forward steadily.

Ahead of the G20 summit in South Korea Nov 11, the two leaders also discussed issues related to the multilateral event.

The South Korean president emphasised on “a system of systematic implementation of decisions” taken at the meet.

They also discussed G20 issues, the stress that President Lee wishes to place on development as an outcome, and for the need for meeting not just to take decisions but to have a system of systematic implementation of those decisions so that they are carried forward over several years Both agreed that they would work together in the G20 to that end, Menon said.

The issue of Posco, the $12 billion project in Orissa that has run into problems, did not come up.