Rice praises India's effort in Vienna

The Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has complimented the role played by the Indian government in Vienna.

Terming the waiver granted to India by the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers group (NSG) as a "huge step" in the relationship between the US and India, the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has complimented the role played by the Indian government in Vienna.

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In comments made to the travelling press in Algiers on Saturday, Rice said India showed a lot of leadership skills in Vienna, where everybody took everyone else's concerns seriously and found the ways to bridge it.

" I just wanted to come back and say how pleased I am to have received the news of the conclusion of the NSG discussions, and therefore, the passing of an exemption for India. This is an important step forward. I have to say that India showed a lot of leadership," Rice told Reporters.

"We got lot of help from the Indian government to make this possible, but also from a number of delegations that worked very closely with us. And I think that it is a really very big step forward for the non-proliferation framework" she added according to a transcript released by the State Department.

".. We will have to see. The congressional calendar is short, but the main thing is the international work is now done. I certainly hope to get it through because it's also a big step for the US-India relationship," Rice said.

"We have talked to the Indian government about not disadvantaging American companies and I think they recognise and appreciate American leadership on this issue. But obviously, the best thing would be to get it through Congress" Rice remarked.