Boucher hopes nod for "very strong package" to come this month By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington, Sept 12 (PTI) - The U.S. administration has
presented a "very strong package" to the U.S. Congress on the
civil nuclear deal with India and it is fully consistent with
the requirements set out, a senior State Department official
has said, hoping that a legislative nod for the 123 agreement
will come around this month.

"We have presented a very strong package fully consistent
with the requirements that Congress set out," Assistant
Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard
Boucher said at a meeting organised by the U.S. India Business
Alliance at the Capitol Hill.

"We understand how tight the Congressional calendar is
this fall. But we look forward to continuing with Congress on
the initiative and we hope the legislation can be passed
before Congress adjourns for the year," he added.

The comments came close on the heels of President George
Bush's statement that American commitments to the Indian side
under the Agreement were not "legally binding".

The Congress, which opened Sept 8, will be in session
till Sept 26. It is therefore being asked by Administration to
do away with the mandatory 30-day period before it can take up
the Agreement for a simple yes-no vote without a debate.

Boucher also said that the agreement, which enjoyed great
support at the Capitol Hill, is likely to generate a fair
amount of discussion and a lot of questions in the House.

The event was attended by senior members of the House of
Representatives, many of whom said while the clock has begun
ticking on the thirty day requirement of the Hyde Act, there
is still no set idea of how lawmakers will be going about the
process in the existing time frame.

A senior Democrat who played a major role in the passage
of the Hyde Act in 2006 put the onus on the White House saying
that it is up to the President to bring the leadership of the
parties together to get this agreement done.

"There is no set procedure on how Congress operates. I
suspect there will be a lot of horse trading too about other
unrelated issues," remarked Eni Faleovamaega, Democrat from
American Samoa.

"But... it is going to be incumbent upon the leadership
of the President, how well he can bring together leadership of
both Houses-- both Republicans and Democrats-- and eventually
make a decision," he added.

"I think the Republicans are pretty much on board, but
it's the Democratic side that we have to work on and bring
them on board as well," the senior Democrat in the House who
sits in the House Foreign Affairs Committee said.

He also pointed out that while post an NSG waiver India
is entitled to trade with any of the nuclear suppliers, it is
the US for whose interest the 123 agreement was crucial.

"One thing we need to understand is that not so much that
India really needs this. They can always go shopping with some
other countries to do this as well. They can go to France and
several of the European Union and their members, who also have
the technology," Faleovamaega said.

Seeking a quick wrap up of the nuclear deal with India,
President George W Bush has sent to the US Congress the
landmark 123 agreement, amid stepped up efforts to short
circuit procedures so that the approval is secured waiving the
30-day mandatory wait in the session. PTI SK