New Delhi, September 2:

The United States has lifted curbs on exports to six Indian civilian nuclear and space units, the US ambassador said in an interview published today, describing India as a “unique” non-proliferation case. The scrapping of the restrictions will make it easier for New Delhi to buy nuclear fuel and reactor components for civilian nuclear energy needs, the US Embassy here said in a separate statement.

“India is meeting the standards that major nuclear powers are meeting,” Ambassador David Mulford told the Hindu newspaper. “We need to regularise relationships and they need to assume the same duties and ... have roughly the same benefits even though they are not signatories to the NPT,” he said, referring to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. “India is a country that needs for its development civil nuclear energy. It is a democracy, it has a long and distinguished history as a non-proliferator,” said Mulford. “That does not apply in any way to North Korea, Iran, or even to Israel or Pakistan.”

On July 18, US President George W Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after talks in Washington announced plans to cooperate on developing India’s civilian nuclear energy programme. The decision is a departure from the US prohibition of nuclear assistance to countries that do not allow international monitoring of all atomic facilities, as required by the NPT.

“India can truly be distinguished as a unique case without violating or compromising our own commitment to non-proliferation,” Mulford said.