U.S. and India sign civil nuclear cooperation agreement

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and India signed a potentially lucrative agreement on Friday that would give India access to U.S. civil nuclear technology for the first time in three decades.

The accord, which has been criticized by nonproliferation advocates, was signed by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee after years of tortuous negotiations.

Before he signed the pact, Mukherjee alluded to the business opportunities that may await U.S. firms, saying: "We look forward to working with the U.S. companies on the commercial (steps) that will follow to implement this landmark agreement."