ID :
22392
Fri, 10/03/2008 - 09:30
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/22392
The shortlink copeid
India an anchor of stability, say pro-deal Senators
Sridhar Krishnaswami
Washington, Oct 2 (PTI) A spirited bipartisan defence of the Indo-US nuclear deal was witnessed in the Senate by lawmakers who cited
"compelling geopolitical" reasons for its passage, as a killer amendment, moved by two Senators warning that the legislation would enable India to secretly develop atomic weapons, was dumped.
The nearly three-hour lively debate saw pro-deal
Senators arguing that India can be an "anchor of stability" in
South Asia" and an engine of global economic growth.
But, terming the legislation as a "very, very serious
mistake, the two Democratic lawmakers Byron Dorgan and Jeff
Bingaman said it will send a "wrong signal" to Iran, a
signatory of Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty as well to
Pakistan, North Korea and Israel, who are outside the N.P.T.
The Berman Bill H R 7081, named after Howard Berman, a
Democrat strongly opposed to the deal on non-proliferation
grounds and who converted recently, was adopted with an
emphatic 86-13 vote, clearing the last legislative hurdle for
the deal that will now be sent to President George W Bush to
be signed into law.
"This bill enables the United and India to chart a new
course of relations between our two great democracies. There
are compelling geopolitical reasons to move forward with this
relationship," Senator Christopher Dodd, the Acting Chairman
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said kicking off
the debate.
Dorgan said the legislation can enable to "misuse"
U.S. technology and secretly develop nuclear weapons.
"... you (India) can build a nuclear arsenal in
defiance of the United Nations resolutions and international
sanctions; and after testing, 10 years later, all will be
forgiven and you will be welcome into the club of nuclear
powers without ever having signed the nonproliferation treaty"
Dorgan said tersely.
In a last minute push, Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urging him to
go through with the deal without amendments, saying the
Administration would prefer a "clean legislation".
Sounding a note of caution, Dorgan said, "... this is
all about big companies, being able to access a new
marketplace for technology to sell the technology and the
capability to develop nuclear power plans -- and we will allow
you to do that... opportunity in this agreement for you to put
eight of your plants behind a curtain with no international
inspections which is a green light saying you may produce
additional nuclear weapons."
Bingaman warned that the agreement would make India a
de facto nuclear weapons power without the responsibility of
an N.P.T. signatory.
Dismissing the contention of the naysayers, Dodd said
"India has become a major actor in the world" and pointed to
its "tremendous importance" in south Asia where it shares
borders with China, Pakistan, and is close to Afghanistan."
Dodd said that the passage of the legislation would
send a message not only to the people and government of India
"but the direction we intend to head on this matter in the
21st century."
"This agreement with India is as important as it is
historic...," Dodd said, adding India's Prime Minister who
visited Washington just last week "has devoted energy and
political courage in forging this agreement.
"It cost him dearly to move forward in his own
parliament to reach the agreement he did only a few weeks ago
and in seeking the approval for it in his country of India"
the Senator said.
The Connecticut Democrat reminded his colleagues that
what Bush had signed on was only a "political commitment that
is not legally binding".
"The bill before the United States Senate provides
additional measures that guide the implement takes of the
agreement and they are worthy of note... the grant is based
on U.S. interpretations of its temperatures. In other words,
it reaffirms that President Bush's assurances about fuel
supplies are a political commitment and not necessarily
legally binding," Dodd said.
In his opening remarks, Senator Reid maintained that
the agreement "is an issue that has been worked on long and
hard for months and months, and finally we're having the
opportunity to get to it".
The Ranking member in the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, Republican Senator Richard Lugar said the deal was
one of the "most important strategic diplomatic initiatives
undertaken".
By concluding this pact, the U.S. has embraced a
long-term outlook that will give it new diplomatic options and
improve global stability, he said.
"It's an opportunity to build a strategic partnership
with a nation -- India -- that shares our democratic values
and which exerts increasing influence on the world stage"
Lugar added.
PTI SK
Washington, Oct 2 (PTI) A spirited bipartisan defence of the Indo-US nuclear deal was witnessed in the Senate by lawmakers who cited
"compelling geopolitical" reasons for its passage, as a killer amendment, moved by two Senators warning that the legislation would enable India to secretly develop atomic weapons, was dumped.
The nearly three-hour lively debate saw pro-deal
Senators arguing that India can be an "anchor of stability" in
South Asia" and an engine of global economic growth.
But, terming the legislation as a "very, very serious
mistake, the two Democratic lawmakers Byron Dorgan and Jeff
Bingaman said it will send a "wrong signal" to Iran, a
signatory of Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty as well to
Pakistan, North Korea and Israel, who are outside the N.P.T.
The Berman Bill H R 7081, named after Howard Berman, a
Democrat strongly opposed to the deal on non-proliferation
grounds and who converted recently, was adopted with an
emphatic 86-13 vote, clearing the last legislative hurdle for
the deal that will now be sent to President George W Bush to
be signed into law.
"This bill enables the United and India to chart a new
course of relations between our two great democracies. There
are compelling geopolitical reasons to move forward with this
relationship," Senator Christopher Dodd, the Acting Chairman
of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said kicking off
the debate.
Dorgan said the legislation can enable to "misuse"
U.S. technology and secretly develop nuclear weapons.
"... you (India) can build a nuclear arsenal in
defiance of the United Nations resolutions and international
sanctions; and after testing, 10 years later, all will be
forgiven and you will be welcome into the club of nuclear
powers without ever having signed the nonproliferation treaty"
Dorgan said tersely.
In a last minute push, Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice wrote to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urging him to
go through with the deal without amendments, saying the
Administration would prefer a "clean legislation".
Sounding a note of caution, Dorgan said, "... this is
all about big companies, being able to access a new
marketplace for technology to sell the technology and the
capability to develop nuclear power plans -- and we will allow
you to do that... opportunity in this agreement for you to put
eight of your plants behind a curtain with no international
inspections which is a green light saying you may produce
additional nuclear weapons."
Bingaman warned that the agreement would make India a
de facto nuclear weapons power without the responsibility of
an N.P.T. signatory.
Dismissing the contention of the naysayers, Dodd said
"India has become a major actor in the world" and pointed to
its "tremendous importance" in south Asia where it shares
borders with China, Pakistan, and is close to Afghanistan."
Dodd said that the passage of the legislation would
send a message not only to the people and government of India
"but the direction we intend to head on this matter in the
21st century."
"This agreement with India is as important as it is
historic...," Dodd said, adding India's Prime Minister who
visited Washington just last week "has devoted energy and
political courage in forging this agreement.
"It cost him dearly to move forward in his own
parliament to reach the agreement he did only a few weeks ago
and in seeking the approval for it in his country of India"
the Senator said.
The Connecticut Democrat reminded his colleagues that
what Bush had signed on was only a "political commitment that
is not legally binding".
"The bill before the United States Senate provides
additional measures that guide the implement takes of the
agreement and they are worthy of note... the grant is based
on U.S. interpretations of its temperatures. In other words,
it reaffirms that President Bush's assurances about fuel
supplies are a political commitment and not necessarily
legally binding," Dodd said.
In his opening remarks, Senator Reid maintained that
the agreement "is an issue that has been worked on long and
hard for months and months, and finally we're having the
opportunity to get to it".
The Ranking member in the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee, Republican Senator Richard Lugar said the deal was
one of the "most important strategic diplomatic initiatives
undertaken".
By concluding this pact, the U.S. has embraced a
long-term outlook that will give it new diplomatic options and
improve global stability, he said.
"It's an opportunity to build a strategic partnership
with a nation -- India -- that shares our democratic values
and which exerts increasing influence on the world stage"
Lugar added.
PTI SK
