The US Congress has voted the amendment to their basic nuclear legislation to exceptionalise India for cooperation in civil nuclear field with massive bipartisan majorities in both Houses. The US administration is thereby empowered to negotiate the 123 Agreement with India. While the US legislation was purely a domestic matter, the 123 Agreement will bind both India and the US.

American Secretary of State Condeleezza Rice has given an assurance that this agreement will be entirely within the parameters of the joint statements of Dr Manmohan Singh and President Bush of July 18, 2005 and March 2, 2006. This is possible, because under the US constitution foreign policy is the prerogative of the president. The US secretary of state has already taken note of India’s concerns and the negotiations will be conducted entirely between the two administrations without interference from the US Congress. The nuclear initiative and enhancement of relationship with India are considered the sole possible success for President Bush’s foreign policy and therefore it is unlikely that the US administration would allow this to fail.

The same motivation energises the US lobbying with the 45 members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and in influencing negotiations for an India-specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Since the US president and the secretary of state have taken personal interest in getting India exceptionalised, it is to be expected that they would bring to bear their influence on reaching a successful conclusion of the process and making India a member of Nuclear Suppliers Group.

... contd.