Hillary Clinton brokers deal with India on sale of US nuclear reactor technology worth up to $10B

BY Richard Sisk
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU

Monday, July 20th 2009, 4:26 PM

Quraishi/AP

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton shares a light moment with Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna.

WASHINGTON - Secretary of State Clinton displayed her salesmanship and sarcasm Monday in winding up a three-day India visit aimed at reclaiming her dominant foreign policy role.

Clinton and Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna agreed on a deal worth up to $10 billion for the sale of U.S. nuclear reactor technology to India for clean power generation.

Clinton also dismissed talk of a rift with President Obama. "I could not be more satisfied" with the relationship, she said.

"I broke my elbow, not my larynx," Clinton told ABC's "Good Morning America," rejecting concerns that the fractured right elbow she suffered in May had relegated her to a sideline role on policy.

Clinton heads Tuesday to Bangkok for a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations expected to focus on curbing the nuclear threat from North Korea.

Clinton said North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and his close circle of relatives and generals are acting like whiny brats.

"What we've seen is this constant demand for attention," Clinton said. "And maybe it's the mother in me or the experience that I've had with small children and unruly teenagers and people who are demanding attention - don't give it to them, they don't deserve it, they are acting out."