Japan declines to back Indian nuke drive

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (C) and his wife Akie (R) join Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur (L) to light an Indian traditional lamp to launch the India-Japan Friendship Year 2007, at a hotel in Tokyo on Thursday. PHOTO: AFP

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met his counterpart Shinzo Abe and signed a deal to launch negotiations, to be completed within two years, on a free-trade pact.

While the talks are at an initial stage, the agreement holds symbolic value as Abe has repeatedly said he seeks closer ties with fellow democracy India to compensate for frequent tension with China.

"I agreed with Prime Minister Singh to upgrade the bilateral relationship to a strategic global partnership," Abe said at a joint press conference.

The two leaders also agreed to boost people-to-people contacts and to start annual visits to each other's countries. Singh is the first Indian premier to visit Japan in five years.

"I am deeply satisfied with the outcome of my visit and I'm glad that Prime Minister Abe has accepted my invitation to visit India next year," Singh said.

But Abe withheld support on one of Singh's major issues -- nuclear cooperation.

Singh reached a landmark deal with US President George W. Bush to allow nuclear exports to India, which in turn would put civilian-use facilities under safeguards of the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).