Vote on nuke deal in US House postponed

Fellow Democrat Edward Markey, who lead the charge on behalf of those opposed to the Bill, insisted on a recorded vote at the end of the debate following which the voting was postponed and it is now expected to be taken up later tonight.

“I’m a strong advocate of closer US-India ties, including peaceful nuclear cooperation. I voted for the Hyde Act which established a framework for such cooperation. The Bill before us today will approve the US-India agreement for peaceful nuclear cooperation,” Berman said.

“Integrating India into a global non-proliferation regime is a positive step,” he said, adding Bush Administration has assured him they will push for an NSG decision prohibiting the export of enrichment and reprocessing equipment and technologies to states that are not party to Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

Fellow Democratic Ellen Tauscher, however, disagreed maintaining that the Bill flies in the face of decades of American leadership to contain the spread of the weapons of mass destruction.

“The India deal would give a country with a dismal record of non-proliferation all the benefits of nuclear trade with none of the responsibilities. India has been denied access to the market for three decades and for good reason. India is not a signatory of the non-proliferation treaty and has not agreed to disarmament or signed the treaty,” Congresswoman Tauscher said.

The debate on the House floor brought out law makers along expected lines in supporting and opposing the revised Bill introduced by Chairman Berman, who had reservations over the deal and is understood to have brought the second version after senior Bush Administration officials talked to him on the need for early nod to the civil nuclear initiative.

However, the Congressman said he still has concerns about ambiguities in the agreement and that several documents should be inserted to clarify these.

“These documents constitute key and dispositive parts of the authoritative representations described in section 102 of this bill which gives the right to disapprove a presidential decision to resume civil nuclear cooperation with any country, not just India, that tests a nuclear weapon.

“It will also ensure that India takes the necessary remaining steps to bring its IAEA safeguards agreement fully into force and include an additional protocol…I will be voting for H R 7081,” the senior Democrat said at the end of his opening statement.

Ranking Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee Ros Lehtinen also voiced support for the legislation.

“The US-India nuclear cooperation agreement is not one we would offer to just any nation. It is a venture we would enter into only with our most trusted, democratic allies. I believe that stronger economic, scientific, diplomatic and military cooperation between the US and India is in the national interest of both countries,” the Florida Congresswoman said. “… this nuclear cooperation agreement is essential in continuing to ensure India’s active involvement in dissuading, isolating, and if necessary sanctioning and containing Iran for its efforts to acquire chemical, biological and nuclear weapon capabilities,” Lehtinen added.