The United States will abandon its nuclear deal with India if New Delhi tests a nuclear weapon, the State Department said. The statement came as the two governments gave different interpretations of the controversial nuclear deal's recently adopted operating agreement, also known as the 123 agreement. “The proposed 123 agreement has provisions in it that in an event of a nuclear test by India, then all nuclear cooperation is terminated,” spokesman Sean McCormack said. There also is a “provision for return of all materials, including reprocessed material covered by the agreement,” he said. McCormack's comments came a day after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told parliament that the agreement would not affect India's military program or any plans to test nuclear weapons. The 123 agreement was officially approved by the two governments two weeks ago following two years of negotiations. However, U.S. law requires Congress to approve the deal, and many lawmakers are opposed to it.
