US Chamber of Commerce chief backs nuclear deal

New York, May 8 (UNI) The United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) President Tom Donohue has extended his strong support to the India-America civilian nuclear agreement and called for closer bilateral relations.

''This agreement will accelerate the convergence of our two dynamic economies and alignment of two democracies in the 21st century,'' USCC President and CEO Tom Donohue said. ''It's win for the safety, win for the environment, and win for the economic growth and international security.'' Delivering a keynote address at a conference, titled ''The US-India Partnership Summit 2006,'' held in here earlier in the week, he said, ''The objective of the conference was to educate American businesspersons about available opportunities in India.'' The agreement will offer a vehicle, through which India could develop nuclear energy in a peaceful, responsible way, and which would also be beneficial to the US, he said.

''It's really important and is going to create tens of thousands of jobs for the people, who are going to build these power generation systems at home and abroad,'' he said.

The agreement and the resultant nuclear energy is crucial to cleaner environment and greater economic growth, he noted.

Mr Donohue declared that he would lobby with US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Democrat of New York, seeking her support to the deal. The senator and her husband, former president Bill Clinton are considered close friends of India and the Indian-American community.

''I want to say on behalf of the US Chamber of Commerce that we are going to spend all our resources, energy and do everything not only to keep this potential agreement on track, but to nurture the relationship between the two democracies,'' he said.

UNI XC AD HS1031