As the US insisted it has the right to act under the civilian nuke deal if India exploded a bomb, Washington said New Delhi should emulate other major nuclear powers  by not testing atomic weapons.
   "I think you're all familiar with the provisions in the 123 Agreement. And certainly, that provides the (US) President options in acting, in the event that there is a test," US State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters here yesterday.
   When asked whether the US fears that India may one day continue with its nuclear tests, he said that Washington does not encourage any country to test nuclear device.
   "...a variety of officials from the US have said essentially the same thing, and that is that we are not testing and I don't see advanced nuclear countries around the world testing. And certainly, we don't encourage other states to do that," he said.
   "But, you know, again, the whole issue, is India is sovereign, but we're not encouraging any states to test at this point," he said when asked to comment on a raging debate in India over whether it enjoyed the right to test nuclear weapons under the landmark US-India civilian nuclear deal.
   McCormack had put question marks on the fate of the deal a  day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told Parliament this week the deal would not curb India's right to test nuclear weapons, saying New Delhi retained the "sovereign right to test and would do so if it is necessary in the national interest."
   But the US responded by saying the nuke deal's operating agreement contained provisions for "full termination" of all nuclear cooperation with India, as well as requiring the return of any items, including reprocessed fuel, covered in the pact, if India tested atomic weapons.