PM seeks satisfactory approval for deal,Bush says working hard

Washington, Sep 26 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
on Friday hoped that the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal would be
approved in a manner "satisfactory" from the point of view of
both the countries as he met President George W. Bush here but
could not ink the agreement in the absence of a Congressional
nod.

Bush, on his part, assured Singh that his Administration
is "working hard" to get the deal approved "as quickly as
possible" after the House of Representatives postponed till
Saturday debate and vote on a bill on the landmark pact.

It is understood that the House, which was considering a
bill introduced by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard
Berman, has put off the voting due to pre-occupation with the
financial bailout package and some other issues.

"We want the (123) Agreement to satisfy you and get it
out of our Congress. And so we're working hard to get it
passed as quickly as possible," Bush told reporters at the
Oval office in the White House after a 40-minute meeting with
Singh.

"I sincerely hope that the settlement which is now before
the U.S. Congress will be approved in a manner which will be
satisfactory from the point of view of both our countries,"
the Prime Minister said.

"And when the history is written, I think it will be
recorded that President George W. Bush played a historic role
in bringing the two democracies closer to each other," Singh,
who acknowledged Bush's efforts in bringing the "massive
transformation" of the India-US relations, said.

Bush said the deal, signed by the two leaders in July,
2005, has taken "a lot of work on both our parts, a lot of
courage on your part".

It was in U.S. interest to have a "good, strong strategic
relationship with India and we've worked hard to achieve
that...one such sign of that relationship is the India-U.S.
civilian nuclear agreement," Bush said.

Singh said he was mentioning civil nuclear initiative
because for 34 years India has suffered from a "nuclear
apartheid".

"We have not been able to trade in nuclear material,
nuclear reactors, nuclear raw materials. And when this
restrictive regime ends, I think a great deal of credit will
go to President Bush. And for this I am very grateful to you,
Mr. President," the Prime Minister said.

Singh flew in from New York for the meeting with Bush
with expectations in the Indian side that the Congress would
have completed the business of legislating on the deal the two
leaders entered into in July, 2005.

After a lot of drama and suspense, Congressman Berman, a
strong opponent of certain provisions of the deal, introduced
a bill in the House which was almost identical to the one that
was overwhelmingly adopted by the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee with a rider that all nuclear assistance to India
would cease if New Delhi conducts a test.

However, his bill had an extra paragraph that would
require the Senate and the House versions to be reconciled in
a committee with the involvement of the administration also.

Berman was persuaded to drop killer amendments
including one on Iran that could have sabotaged the
legislation following which he introduced the bill.

With the House putting off the vote and the full Senate
yet to take up the measure, the deal will be literally down to
the wires on Saturday, the last day of the Congress session if
it is not extended further.

G. Sudhakar Nair

Washington, Sep 26 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
on Friday hoped that the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal would be
approved in a manner "satisfactory" from the point of view of
both the countries as he met President George W. Bush here but
could not ink the agreement in the absence of a Congressional
nod.

Bush, on his part, assured Singh that his Administration
is "working hard" to get the deal approved "as quickly as
possible" after the House of Representatives postponed till
Saturday debate and vote on a bill on the landmark pact.

It is understood that the House, which was considering a
bill introduced by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard
Berman, has put off the voting due to pre-occupation with the
financial bailout package and some other issues.

"We want the (123) Agreement to satisfy you and get it
out of our Congress. And so we're working hard to get it
passed as quickly as possible," Bush told reporters at the
Oval office in the White House after a 40-minute meeting with
Singh.

"I sincerely hope that the settlement which is now before
the U.S. Congress will be approved in a manner which will be
satisfactory from the point of view of both our countries,"
the Prime Minister said.

"And when the history is written, I think it will be
recorded that President George W. Bush played a historic role
in bringing the two democracies closer to each other," Singh,
who acknowledged Bush's efforts in bringing the "massive
transformation" of the India-US relations, said.

Bush said the deal, signed by the two leaders in July,
2005, has taken "a lot of work on both our parts, a lot of
courage on your part".

It was in U.S. interest to have a "good, strong strategic
relationship with India and we've worked hard to achieve
that...one such sign of that relationship is the India-U.S.
civilian nuclear agreement," Bush said.

Singh said he was mentioning civil nuclear initiative
because for 34 years India has suffered from a "nuclear
apartheid".

"We have not been able to trade in nuclear material,
nuclear reactors, nuclear raw materials. And when this
restrictive regime ends, I think a great deal of credit will
go to President Bush. And for this I am very grateful to you,
Mr. President," the Prime Minister said.

Singh flew in from New York for the meeting with Bush
with expectations in the Indian side that the Congress would
have completed the business of legislating on the deal the two
leaders entered into in July, 2005.

After a lot of drama and suspense, Congressman Berman, a
strong opponent of certain provisions of the deal, introduced
a bill in the House which was almost identical to the one that
was overwhelmingly adopted by the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee with a rider that all nuclear assistance to India
would cease if New Delhi conducts a test.

However, his bill had an extra paragraph that would
require the Senate and the House versions to be reconciled in
a committee with the involvement of the administration also.

Berman was persuaded to drop killer amendments
including one on Iran that could have sabotaged the
legislation following which he introduced the bill.

With the House putting off the vote and the full Senate
yet to take up the measure, the deal will be literally down to
the wires on Saturday, the last day of the Congress session if
it is not extended further.