American Jewish Committee support US-India nuke deal

Washington, May 16 (UNI) The Indo-US nuclear deal got some more support as the American Jewish Committee (AJC) urged the US Senate and House of Representatives to endorse the agreement saying it is a pragmatic and forward-looking response to the strategic requirements of both the countries.

President of the AJC E Robert Goodkind and Executive Director David A Harris said India with a population of more than one billion and being an expanding economy, offered the United States a stable, democratic partner in Asia.

''The US-India nuclear agreement will advance this growing relationship and is profoundly in America's national interest,'' the AJC said.

''Our confidence in pluralistic and democratic India, in the Administration's care in crafting this agreement and in the natural alliance between India and the United States, underlies our support for this timely and prudent step forward in the US-India relations,'' they said in the similarly worded letters written to Sen Richard G Lugar, chairman, Committee on Foreign Relations and chairman of the House International Relations Committee Henry J Hyde and other prominent dignitaries.

The AJC said the agreement recognises the nuclear capabilities of rigorously non-proliferating India while preserving the essence of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

''We believe the overarching benefit of this agreement is trategic. After almost 50 years of misunderstanding, India and the United States are on a path of rapidly increasing cooperation that includes counter-terrorism, regional security efforts and touches many sectors -- political, commercial, scientific and educational,'' they said.

Enhancements in India's civil nuclear power capabilities made possible by this agreement can lessen the country's historic reliance on West Asia fossil fuels to meet the accelerating energy needs, they said.

This may yield long-term environmental benefits as well, they added.

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