PM may ink N-pact in Toronto

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will attend the fourth G20 summit in Toronto from June 26 to 27, where he is scheduled to hold talks with his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper and may even sign a bilateral civil nuclear cooperation pact after the meet.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will attend the fourth G20 summit in Toronto from June 26 to 27, where he is scheduled to hold talks with his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper and may even sign a bilateral civil nuclear cooperation pact after the meet.

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“The agreement will cover a large ambit of peaceful nuclear applications,” Vivek Katju, secretary (west) in the external affairs ministry, said during a briefing on the visit. The deal will enable Canadian firms to set up nuclear plants in India, supply nuclear fuel, and cooperate in nuclear research and waste management.

Katju said the bilateral engagement would give a fresh impetus to the economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries in the areas of science and technology, health and agriculture.

India and Canada may also sign specific pacts on energy, cultural and social security.

The issue of pro-Khalistan activists again being active in Canada will also come up for discussions.

Singh will be the only visiting leader for whom Harper will host a dinner. Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia and National Security Advisor Shiv Shankar Menon are part of this team.