Nuke deal between US and India may not get nod this year

New York, Apr 22 (UNI) Supporters of the Indo-US nuclear agreement are concerned that the deal might not be approved by the US Congress this year, according to The Wall Street Journal.

US House of Representatives Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, an Illinois Republican, recently visited New Delhi as part of a Congressional delegation and his talks with Indian leaders, among other things, focused on the deal.

''Speaker Hastert, just back from India, vows to push ahead but Congressional calendar is crowded before midterm elections,'' the newspaper said yesterday in its Washington Wire column, a special weekly report from its capital bureau.

The midterm Congressional elections are scheduled for November 7; Congress must approve the deal to allow the sales of American nuclear technology to India.

American Ambassador to India David Mulford is scheduled to testify on Capitol Hill next week in connection with the deal, as business lobbies launch a grass-root campaign in eight American cities.

Many Indian-American campaign donors are scheduled to visit Washington on May 3 for a White House briefing and meetings with the lawmakers. The New York-based newspaper also pointed out the defence ties between the two countries have become strong saying that ''Navy and Air Force step up military-to-military cooperation with India, which the Pentagon calls 'a key partner''', the daily said.

UNI XC SY HT2128