WASHINGTON, March 9: The White House has rejected the suggestion that by signing a nuclear deal in New Delhi last week, President Bush has moved closer to recognising India as a nuclear power.

“The United States has not recognised India as a nuclear weapons state,” the White House declared. “India does not meet the definition (set out in the nuclear non-proliferation treaty), and we do not seek to amend the treaty.”

In a fact sheet on the Indo-US nuclear deal, issued on Wednesday afternoon, the White House stressed that the nuclear deal does not effectively recognise India as a nuclear weapons state.

The White House fact sheet on the Indo-US nuclear cooperation comes a day after President George W Bush met top lawmakers to discuss the agreement and seek their support.

The Bush administration pointed out that except for the five recognised nuclear weapons states, parties to the NPT are permitted access to technology for peaceful purposes but are prohibited from pursuing or possessing nuclear weapons.

In the statement, the Bush administration made it clear that Washington has “no intention of aiding India’s nuclear weapons programme”.

The US administration also said that India’s plan to separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities and programmes will allow other nations to cooperate with India’s civilian facilities to expand energy production.

The White House refuted the contention that the deal will weaken existing non-proliferation regimes and countries like Israel or Pakistan will insist on a similar deal or cause nations to back out of the NPT.

“India has stood outside the global non-proliferation regime for the last 30 years. Through this initiative, India will enter the international non-proliferation mainstream, thereby strengthening the regime that continues to play a vital role in enhancing international security and stability,” the statement said.

“Pakistan and India are different countries with different needs and different histories. Our relationship with Pakistan, which has major non-NATO ally status, follows a separate path that reflects our countries’ strong commitment to maintaining close ties and cooperation, including in the war on terror.

“However, Pakistan does not have the same non-proliferation record as India, or the same energy needs. We do not intend to pursue a similar civil nuclear cooperation initiative with Pakistan.

“The status of Israel is not comparable to that of India. Israel has not declared itself to be a nuclear power, nor articulated such extraordinary energy needs. As for other Middle Eastern countries, we expect all NPT parties to live up to their treaty obligations.”

In the fact sheet, the White House, among other things, said the deal does not set a bad precedent for countries like Iran, North Korea or Israel, fuel an arms race in the region, assist India’s nuclear weapons programme or set the stage for its recognition as a nuclear weapons state.

“This a historic agreement that brings India into the non-proliferation mainstream and addresses its growing energy needs through increased use of nuclear energy in cooperation with the international community.

The White House said that it’s really not “credible” to put India in the same basket as that of “rogue regimes” like North Korea and Iran.