Indian-Americans reaffirm support to Indo-US Nuclear deal

New Delhi, Jul 4 (UNI) Amid the standoff over the Indo-US Civil Nuclear agreement between the government and the Left, Indian-Americans have reaffirmed support to the deal, saying it made strategic and economic sense for both countries.

The US-India Political Action Committee (USINPAC), a political organisation of 2.5 million Indian-Americans, whle reaffirming support to the deal, cautioned that there was very little time left for the agreement to be placed on the Congressional calendar for consideration.

The statement by the USINPAC is significant as it comes when US Congressman Gary Ackerman is in India leading a six-member Congressional delegation and meeting with Indian leaders.

Mr Ackerman met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee yesterday and is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later today.

''...we will, of course work very closely and fully with Chairman (Gary) Ackerman and the other members in the US Congress to make this agreement a reality. We firmly believe that this agreement makes not just strategic sense but economic sense for both countries,'' USINPAC Chairman Sanjay Puri said.

The USINPAC provides bipartisan support to candidates for federal, state and local office who support the issues important to the Indian-American community.

Mr Puri said that in a democracy like India, it was important to ensure long-term sustainability of such a major decision as this by developing a broad-based consensus of support.

''It has been a long journey. But in a democracy like India, it is important that the government is able to ensure the long-term sustanability of such a major decision as this by developing and sustaining as broad-based a consensus of support as possible,'' he said.

He said it should, however, be noted that if the Indian government moved forward with the deal, there was very little time remaining for the agreement to be placed on the Congressional calendar for consideration.

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