The Bush Administration on Monday reiterated its belief that a civil nuclear agreement it struck with India over two years ago is “positive for both countries” and that it would like to see it wrapped up “as soon as possible.”

State Department spokesman Tom Casey said he was “not going to try and tell the Indians how to manage their own internal process on this.” But, he added, “We certainly think this is again an arrangement that’s positive for both countries and the broader international community and we’d like to see it done as soon as possible, but that’s within the context of what each country has to do and has to accomplish.”

On Monday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh informed President George W. Bush that “certain difficulties have arisen with respect to the operationalisation of the India-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement,” according to a statement posted on the Indian Embassy website following a telephone conversation between the two leaders.

Despite the apparent setback, Casey said the US would “continue to support this agreement.” He added: “As diplomats we are always hopeful.”

Analysts in the U.S. don’t believe the deal is dead. Daryl Kimball with the Arms Control Association told the Washington Post, “I would not say the deal is dead. It’s in the hospital in intensive care. The reason it’s in intensive care is that there is a tight timeline that the U.S. and India have to keep to follow through on all the steps.”

The Post noted that neither the government appeared eager to announce the setback to what had been billed as one of the Bush Administration’s biggest foreign policy achievements.” The reluctance to admit that the deal is faltering contrasts with the fanfare when it was announced just three months ago,” it noted.

A senior Indian official, speaking to The Tribune on condition of anonymity, said, “In reality, decisions affecting the longevity of any agreement will eventually be taken at the political level, not on the basis of the advice of lawyers but on an assessment of the overall stakes and interests of the countries involved.”

Casey said the Bush Administration believed that the deal “is a positive one and a good one for the United States, for India and for the broader efforts of non-proliferation.”

The State Department official said the Indian government needed to work with the International Atomic Energy Agency and establish a safeguards arrangement. “On our side, we’d of course need to work out an appropriate arrangement with the Nuclear Suppliers Group,” he said, adding, “And certainly we want to see that get accomplished. But again in terms of the timing and the discussions internally within the Indian political system, I’ll leave that to them.”

Asked if the administration was satisfied with the efforts of the Indian government, which faces considerable opposition from its Left partners, Casey said, “They have to work their side of this. We have to work our side of this.”