"We have seen media stories about a report from the US Administration to the US Congress. It is not our general practice to comment on such reports," an external affairs ministry spokesperson said.

The official was responding to questions on reports from Washington which quoted Clinton as having stated in a message to the US Congress that India's draft nuclear doctrine, though the timing of its release "may have been politically motivated, suggests that India intends to make nuclear weapons an integral part of the national defence".

Clinton's first public assessment of the bilateral talks assume significance as they come ahead of the ninth round of parleys between external affairs ministerJaswant Singh and US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott slated to take place in London on November 16 and 17.

"We have been engaged in an on-going dialogue on disarmament and non-proliferation issues with the US and other interlocutors. These talks are predicated on India's maintaining a minimum credible nuclear deterrent," the official said.

The official said that at the conclusion of the last round of Indo-US talks held in Delhi in January this year both sides had expressed satisfaction at the outcome of the parleys.

The London round will enable the two sides to take forward discussions on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, (CTBT), Fissile Materials Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), defence posture and other nuclear-related issues.

Washington has been insisting that India should sign the CTBT and New Delhi has maintained that it would strive for widest-possible consensus on the issue.

This will be Singh's first meeting with Talbott after assumption of office of the new Vajpayee ministry. Considerablesignificance is being attached to the parleys in the light of Clinton's visit to India slated to take place early next year.