NUCLEAR-DEBATE 4

"Never in my life that such a large issue has been given such a short shrift," Dorgan said.

The Dorgan-Bingaman Amendment pressed for placing
curbs on nuclear trade and sought export controls in the event
of India setting off a nuclear test.

Rejecting the amendment, Dodd said it will be "very
harmful to single India out".

"Other nations are in a similar situation. I don't
hear amendments being offered to suggest they all ought to be
created in the same way. We are picking out one great
democracy in South Asia with whom we have had a testy
relationship in 25 years, critical in dealing with problems in
that area, and we are going to say them and no one also gets
this treaty," he said.

"You can imagine the reaction from a nation working
out now to us for the first time in half an century to get us
back on a different one. India would see this as an effort to
put in place special penalties against that nation if it were
to respond.

Lugar stressed that the Bill and the Hyde Act address
the issue of a future Indian nuclear test in a "very clear and
definitive way".

"... I'm confident the Congress has provided the
necessary assurances and authorities to protect U.S. interests
and promote strong nonproliferation policies in the event of
an Indian nuclear detonation, he said.

"... so if India were to test tomorrow, the waiver
provided by Congress in 2006 would not apply, and nuclear
cooperation could be terminated." PTI SK