Bush admin confident of Senate clearing N-deal Wednesday By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington, Sep 30 (PTI) The Bush administration is
confident that the approval legislation on the US-India
civilian nuclear deal will be cleared by the Senate "most
likely" Wednesday.

The message is said to have been conveyed to a small
group of top Indian American community leaders yesterday by
senior White House officials, a source privy to the goings
told P.T.I.

"We are confident that just like last time, the Bill will
be passed by substantial majority. With that a new era will
begin for India’s nuclear programme," the officials were
quoted by the source as saying.

Unlike the House of Representatives which needed a
two-thirds majority, the Senate requires only a simple
majority to approve the legislation.

The Senate was expected to convene a session Tuesday in
spite of a Jewish holiday to take up the Bill along with other
legislations.

But before the House rejected the USD 700 billion
financial bailout package to rescue bankrupt financial
institutions, Senate Majority leader Reid said Monday that the
"India nuclear agreement" will be coming up for a vote only on
Wednesday when the Senate reconvenes after the holiday.

"In the meantime we're working to see if we can complete
an agreement to move and complete the Indian nuclear treaty
also on the same day, that would be Wednesday," he said.

"And that would allow all afternoon Tuesday, all day on
Tuesday, and Wednesday to work on those two items," the Nevada
Democrat said, referring to the emergency economic bailout
package as also the approval legislation to the nuclear deal
with India. PTI SK
PMR