ID :
19399
Sat, 09/13/2008 - 19:19
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/19399
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Democrat lawmakers oppose rush vote for Nuke deal
Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Sept 13 (PTI) With the Bush administration
pushing hard for a quick Congressional nod for the landmark
Indo-U.S. civil nuclear deal, a small group of senior
Democratic lawmakers have demanded the detailed examination of
the pact.
The three-person group led by Massachussetts
Congressman Edward Markey has said that there are many
lingering questions about the deal that require further
examination and hence Congress should rule out any rush for an
expedited vote for its ratification.
The group's demand has come in the wake of the reports
that the 30-day rule for the legislation to be considered will
be waived to meet the September 26 deadline when the present
session on the Congress is ending.
Markey, a senior member of the House Energy and
Commerce Committee, has been joined in the call by California
Democrat Ellen O Tauscher, the Chair of the House Armed
Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee and John Spratt, the
chair of the House Budget Committee.
In a letter to the Chairman of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee Howard Berman, the group has opposed any
hurried action while accepting the agreement.
"As many questions whether or not the 123 Agreement,
the India-I.A.E.A. Safeguards Agreement, the N.S.G. waiver,
and the Presidential certifications, meet the requirements of
the Atomic Energy Act and the Hyde Act, are still remaining,
we urge you to take all necessary time to carefully review the
president's submission," the group said in the letter.
"The N.S.G. waiver for India that was approved September
6 clearly does not incorporate the restrictions and conditions
on U.S. nuclear trade mandated by the Hyde Act, such as the
requirement that nuclear cooperation be immediately halted if
India conducts a nuclear test," they added.
Opposing the "rushing consideration of the proposal to
adhere to an imaginary clock," the group has demanded a full
and complete review of the pact by the Congress, "even if that
necessitates deferring any vote on the Agreement until the
next Congress."
"President Bush is seeking hurried approval of this
unprecedented proposal in the waning days of the 110th
Congress. despite the legal requirements of 30 days
deliberation in a continuous session, and hearings by relevant
committees, to pass any such agreement," they said.
Markey, a major dissenter of the deal with India right
from its beginning, said, "The nonproliferation issues at
stake in this deal are too important to be glossed over in a
rush to beat the clock."
Washington, Sept 13 (PTI) With the Bush administration
pushing hard for a quick Congressional nod for the landmark
Indo-U.S. civil nuclear deal, a small group of senior
Democratic lawmakers have demanded the detailed examination of
the pact.
The three-person group led by Massachussetts
Congressman Edward Markey has said that there are many
lingering questions about the deal that require further
examination and hence Congress should rule out any rush for an
expedited vote for its ratification.
The group's demand has come in the wake of the reports
that the 30-day rule for the legislation to be considered will
be waived to meet the September 26 deadline when the present
session on the Congress is ending.
Markey, a senior member of the House Energy and
Commerce Committee, has been joined in the call by California
Democrat Ellen O Tauscher, the Chair of the House Armed
Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee and John Spratt, the
chair of the House Budget Committee.
In a letter to the Chairman of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee Howard Berman, the group has opposed any
hurried action while accepting the agreement.
"As many questions whether or not the 123 Agreement,
the India-I.A.E.A. Safeguards Agreement, the N.S.G. waiver,
and the Presidential certifications, meet the requirements of
the Atomic Energy Act and the Hyde Act, are still remaining,
we urge you to take all necessary time to carefully review the
president's submission," the group said in the letter.
"The N.S.G. waiver for India that was approved September
6 clearly does not incorporate the restrictions and conditions
on U.S. nuclear trade mandated by the Hyde Act, such as the
requirement that nuclear cooperation be immediately halted if
India conducts a nuclear test," they added.
Opposing the "rushing consideration of the proposal to
adhere to an imaginary clock," the group has demanded a full
and complete review of the pact by the Congress, "even if that
necessitates deferring any vote on the Agreement until the
next Congress."
"President Bush is seeking hurried approval of this
unprecedented proposal in the waning days of the 110th
Congress. despite the legal requirements of 30 days
deliberation in a continuous session, and hearings by relevant
committees, to pass any such agreement," they said.
Markey, a major dissenter of the deal with India right
from its beginning, said, "The nonproliferation issues at
stake in this deal are too important to be glossed over in a
rush to beat the clock."
