'Senate has enough votes to endorse nuke deal'

Washington, July 20: The India-US civil nuclear cooperation deal is likely to get Congressional approval in September when both the chambers of the US Congress return from their summer recess, according to leading Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas.

Mr Cornyn also expressed confidence that the Senate had enough votes to ratify the agreement whenever it comes on the floor for debate and vote.

Talking to UNI after addressing an event organised by the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) here on July 19, Mr Cornyn, who is also the founder and co-chairman of the Senate India Caucus, said the delay in pushing the Senate debate after the summer recess was due to the volume of business that has to be cleared by the Senate. He said it could be cleared earlier than the summer recess by the House of Representatives.

Asked about the differences in the Senate and House versions of the legislation and how both Indian and US officials were not very happy with the provisions in the Senate bill, Mr Cornyn said any difficulties in this regard would be overcome when the conferees meet to iron out differences in the legislation and make it more acceptable to all concerned.

Earlier, addressing representatives of eight war veterans associations, Mr Cornyn spoke about the significance of the civil nuclear cooperation agreement between India and the United States and its importance for national security and U.S.-India relations.

''This is an important matter that does relate directly to our national security and that has to do with the remarkable progress that India-United States relations have made over the last several years and the path that lies ahead,'' he said.

Expressing hope that the Senate and the House of Representatives would ''quickly'' ratify the deal, Mr Cornyn said India has an outstanding record of non-proliferation and shares US values and interests.

He said President George W Bush has made it a fundamental foreign policy objective to move India-United States relations to a new level but the Congress needs to help ensure that this relationship reaches its full potential. By endorsing the legislation pertaining to the civilian nuclear deal, the Congress could enable the ''United States and India become true strategic partners as we move into the 21st century.''

''Today, he said, the United States and India share a common vision for the future as we battle terrorism together and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, HIV/AIDS, and a host of other challenges that face our world.'' He said this deal, known as the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative, will help India with its energy needs and help bring India into the mainstream of international nuclear non-proliferation efforts, both of which are worthwhile goals. ''While it is true that the agreement on civil nuclear cooperation is a significant departure from previous US policy, still it represents a positive step as we grow in our strategic relationship with India,'' he added.

Mr Cornyn also said this is a significant step forward, which has been welcomed by International Atomic Energy Agency Director Mohamed El-Baradei, who understands that India will not come into the NPT through the normal route. This agreement brings India's growing civilian nuclear capabilities within international export control regimes. India will now assume the same non-proliferation responsibilities that other nations have with civil nuclear energy The event, representing eight war veterans organisations, was sponsored by the Indian American Security Leadership Council, headed by Ramesh Kapur of Massachusetts.

UNI

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