Bush admn says it can get N deal through Congress this year

Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Aug 9 (PTI) The Bush Administration has said
it was confident that the Indo-US nuclear deal will be
approved by the Congress this year despite a powerful lawmaker
threatening to block the pact over the provisions of a
proposed NSG waiver.

"We believe that we can get it (nuclear deal) through
this year. We're going to work toward that end," State
Department's Acting Spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said responding
to House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman's
contention that the deal should be shelved till January as
there is not enough time for the Congress to study it.

In a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the
Democrat lawmaker said that there was no need to rush with the
NSG waiver as this would only handicap US businesses.

But Gallegos said the the US was working to get an the
waiver from the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group by early
September.


"We're working with Congress to discuss the issues and
resolve any outstanding concerns that they may have. We're
working through the Nuclear Suppliers Group to obtain their
approval by early September," he said said, adding "anything
that we proceed with will be consistent with the US law."

"We hope at that time to present the package to our
Congress, and we hope that after discussions with them, that
they will be able to pass that and we'll be able to proceed
with this very important programme," he added.

Berman had warned that a waiver by the Nuclear Suppliers
Group "inconsistent" with the Hyde Act will "jeopardise" the
deal in the US Congress which may not approve it during the
Bush Administration's tenure.

Last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
approved a safeguards agreement that will allow UN monitors to
inspect India's civilian nuclear facilities.

The deal must now get the approval of the NSG members and
then be ratified by the US Congress to become operational.

The Chairman of a powerful House Committee which will
examine the 123 Agreement when it is presented to Congress
demanded that the NSG waiver should have provision for
terminating the agreement if India conducts a nuclear test.

Berman insisted that there will have to be a prohibition
on transfer of enrichment, reprocessing and heavy water
production technology by any NSG member to India, a
stipulation that NSG supplier states will not allow India to
reprocess nuclear fuel except in a facility that is under
permanent and unconditional safeguards.

"All these complex issues should be examined in a
serious and detailed fashion and it would be better to shelve
the deal till the Congress meet in January 2009," he said,
adding there is not enough time to study it by September 8
when the Congress is scheduled to meet next. PTI SK