The US on Wednesday noted that India has played a “major role” in the Non-Aligned Movement and continues to do so, a week after a controversy was created by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s suggestion that New Delhi dump NAM.

“I think India has played a major role in Non-Aligned Movement over the years and still continues (to do so) in many cases,” US Ambassador David C Mulford told reporters here at a function to mark American Independence Day.

Mulford’s comments assume significance as these come a week after Rice said that NAM had “lost its meaning” and suggested

India should “move past

old ways of thinking and

old ways of acting” to build the future of Indo-US

relations.

Rice’s remarks created an uproar in India, with the Government and political parties rejecting her view in unison. On the civil-nuclear deal, Mulford disagreed that finalisation of the agreement was being delayed.

“We don’t think that there is any delay taking place, except, may be in the minds of the people who have much expectation for early completion of the deal, including the media, which expects that things should move quickly,” the envoy said.

“It is a highly political as well as very technical and complicated process. So, I don’t think it is surprising that the process is taking time,” he said about the nuclear deal.

The two sides are currently holding negotiations on ‘123 Agreement’ that will operationalise the civil-nuclear deal but have failed to achieve any breakthrough because of differences on issues like reprocessing and India’s right to conduct nuclear tests in future.