Debate over, vote postponed; Wait over Nuke deal gets longer

Following a 40-minute debate, the US House of Representatives decided to postpone the formal voting on the approval legislation for the US-India civilian nuclear agreement till Saturday.

Following a 40-minute debate, the US House of Representatives decided to postpone the formal voting on the approval legislation for the US-India civilian nuclear agreement till Saturday. The support for the nuclear deal was bipartisan in the 435-member US Congress. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman, a known critic of the 123 agreement supported the Senate version of the Bill saying the deal is a positive step as it will bring India into the non-proliferation regime.
 
Fellow Democrat Edward Markey, who led the charge on behalf of those opposed to the Bill, insisted on a recorded vote at the end of the debate following which the voting was postponed and it is now expected to be taken up on Sunday.

"I'm a strong advocate of closer US-India ties, including peaceful nuclear co-operation. I voted for the Hyde Act which established a framework for such co-operation. The Bill before us today will approve the US-India agreement for peaceful nuclear co-operation," Berman said.

"Integrating India into a global non-proliferation regime is a positive step," he said, adding Bush Administration has assured him they will push for an NSG decision prohibiting the export of enrichment and reprocessing equipment and technologies to states that are not party to Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The US Senate is yet to pass the vote, but that could now happen only next week. There is a possibility that the nuclear deal will be tagged on to other legislation that goes to a vote in the Senate, in order to avoid hurdles in the process.

According to sources, however, the deal could be signed in India on October 3, when US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice will be visiting the country.

In a letter sent to Nancy Pelosi, Rice has said that the Congress has an "unprecedented opportunity" before it to ensure that the US and India "complete the journey they began together three years ago". Pelosi is a key player in getting the deal through.

Rice wrote, "I am writing to express my strong support for the United States-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nonproliferation Enhancement Act. For the United States, passage of this legislation will clear the way to deepen the strategic relationship with India".

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