Indians to retain sovereignity : how to be friends with US of A ?

Categorically rejected US suggestion that it define its credible minimum nuclear deterrent, India today said that it had no obligation to do so.

"What our credible minimum deterrent would be is really for India to decide," Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said.


The comment comes a day before an eight-member US congressional delegation headed by Republican House leader Dennis Hastert leaves for New Delhi. The delegation will discuss the recent Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement and look into the transformed relations between two countries.

US assistant secretary of State Richard Boucher's had suggestion yesterday that India should "further define" its 'minimum credible deterrent' in the nuclear field, contending that it was "absolutely necessary" for decreasing tensions in Asia.

"Certainly there is no responsibility on part of India to declare what its minimum deterrent is," Saran said today adding New Delhi had, on various occasions pointed out this to the US.

Saran, who met Boucher yesterday, said the US official had not raised this issue with him. "We have a strategic dialogue with the US where we have agreed to exchange views on our respective nuclear doctrines as well as issues like missile defence," he said.

Republican House leader Dennis Hastert and other US lawmakers, which plans to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress Party president Sonia Gandhi during the April 9-12 trip.