Rice to visit India to sign nuclear deal

NEW DELHI, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- A U.S.-India deal to share civilian nuclear energy components may be signed during a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Indian officials said.

Assuming the U.S. Congress has approved the measure by then, Rice, would visit India in October for a day-long sojourn, during which the two sides would sign the "123 Agreement," the Press Trust of India reported Saturday.

The Rice visit has been pending for more than a year as India sought to gain an international waiver from a nuclear fuel import ban. Officials told the Indian news agency that Rice would also hold talks with Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on bilateral and regional issues during the visit.

The U.S. House of Representatives was set to vote on the agreement Saturday while the Senate was expected to take up the matter Monday, the Press Trust said.