Anti-nuke deal legislators send resolution to Congressional panel

Washington, Mar 13 (UNI) As US Congress gets ready to begin debating legislation to implement the US-India nuclear agreement, a group of legislators protesting the accord, have sponsored a legislation led by Edward Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts.

The resolution, H CON RES 318, is co-sponsored by ten other legislators who have publicly decried the nuclear deal, expressing concern that the proposed full civilian nuclear cooperation with India, would lead to global nuclear proliferation.

The resolution, referred to the House International Relations Committee (HIRC) raises concerns about the US giving civilian nuclear energy to India because it has no clear separation between its civilian and military nuclear programs. Providing India with nuclear technology could also violate the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, it said.

It said that the US-India nuclear deal harms proliferation efforts because: * It undermines the nuclear nonproliferation regime.

* It creates incentives for withdrawing from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and creates a double standard. The US is pressuring Iran (an NPT member) not to develop its nuclear program while at the same time attempting to supply India (a non-NPT member) with nuclear technology.

*The US could be supplying technology to India that directly allows India to produce weapons-grade material, since its civilian and military nuclear programs are not separated.

*It could strain relations between India and Pakistan. Will Pakistan then seek a nuclear technology agreement from the US or China? UNI XC PR RK2205