Bush tells Indian PM he is hopeful on N-deal

Singapore, Nov 16: President George W Bush told Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today that he was optimistic that an agreement to allow nuclear-armed India access to US nuclear fuel and reactors would be approved.

Speaking on the sidelines of president Bush's three-nation trip to Asia, a White House spokesman said that in the 10-minute phone call Mr Bush had reiterated his support for the agreement.

''President Bush ... is hopeful that Congress will move forward with the measure,'' the spokesman said, adding that the president had been encouraged by Republican Senator Mitch McConnell's comments that the Senate would act soon.

Meanwhile, a new report by the Congressional Research Service, which examines issues for Congress, found that while India does not want Iran to have nuclear weapons, New Delhi's ''views of the Iranian threat and appropriate responses (to that threat) differ significantly from US views''.

President Bush has praised the proposed US-Indian agreement as the core of a new bilateral relationship after years of estrangement.

Critics counter that India's close ties with Iran, a long-time US adversary that Washington accuses of developing nuclear weapons, undercuts that argument.

In July the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the bill, which changes US law to allow for nuclear cooperation with India.

But the Republican-led Senate let the bill languish when the congressional session recessed last month.

Senate leaders have predicted that the agreement, once put to a vote, will be overwhelmingly approved.

Congress returned this week for a ''lame-duck'' session after the November 7 elections. If the India-US nuclear bill is not completed this year, the new Democrat-led Congress will have to start again when it convenes in January.

REUTERS

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