U.S. govt working overtime on Hyde amendment: McCormack

Washington, Sept 9 (PTI) The U.S. administration has said
that it is working on the on the Hyde Amendment Package to be
submitted to the Congress to ratify the Indo-US civil nuclear
deal.

"As we speak, we have people working on...the so-called
Hyde amendment package. So we are busily working on that, we,
the US government, in preparing to submit that to the
Congress," State Department spokesperson McCormack said in his
briefing.

He said that the time for the Congress to ratify the deal
is short.

"Admittedly, the time here is short, and there's a brief
window before Congress goes out of session. As you've heard
from the secretary, as well as from the White House, this
administration is committed to trying to move that agreement
forward," McCormack added.

The Spokesman said that senior members of Congress
including Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Howard
Berman and Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
Senator Joseph Biden have been contacted to push the deal.

"We're going to do everything we can to hold up our end
of the bargain," he added.

Looking to push for an early ratification of the landmark
Indo-U.S. Civil Nuclear agreement, the White House plans to
submit the 'Hyde Package' to the Congress early this week,
with the goal of forcing an up-down vote by September 26, a
Wall Street report had said.

McCormack also said that American companies should get a
a level playing field for trading with India under the nuclear
agreement.

McCormack said, "We believe that American business, if
allowed to compete on a level playing field, is more than
capable of winning its share of business around the
world...regardless of whether it's a nuclear energy or any
other industry."

On whether the administration was taken aback by China's
opposition to the energy waiver at the Nuclear Suppliers Group
meeting in Vienna, he said the nuclear cartel had approved the
move by consensus and China did not finally stand in its way.

"I'll let the Chinese government speak to their views
about the diplomatic process in Vienna, but the N.S.G.
operates by consensus, and since everybody agreed to allow
this to move forward, one can deduce that the Chinese at least
didn't stand in the way of it moving forward," McCormack
added.