Not end of the N-test for India

New Delhi: Chairman Foreign Relations Committee, Dick Lugar had said "I urge my colleagues to approve the Indo-US nuclear agreement."

A thumping majority that was the scale of the victory for supporters of the Indo-US Nuclear Bill in the US Senate, but others would say the real task now lies ahead.

Even Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said that there is still a long way to go.

A joint session of the House of Representatives which passed the Bill four months ago and the US Senate will now meet to reconcile their drafts of the Bill. Once that reconciliation process is completed, it will be voted upon.

No amendments are possible at this stage, but this is the time India will be looking to knock out amendments it doesn't like, such as:

*Annual certification of India's good conduct,

*Denial of uranium enrichment and plutonium reprocessing technology

India would be satisfied if the certification was dropped and the language of the technology denial provision not be India-specific.

External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee says,"We shall ensure that the final text of Bill is in conformity with the parameters laid down in the July statement of the Prime Minister."

The real challenge lies in persuading the 45 nations that make up the Nuclear Suppliers Group - a cartel which controls nuclear technology - to back India. There are many here who oppose the deal as it goes against the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Experts say the other challenge is voting upon the 123 agreement.

US State Department Consultant, Dr Ashley Tellis says, "The 123 agreement is a technical agreement that gives flesh to the legislation, which is a critical enabling device."

Also an India-specific Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) needs to worked out for as of now, the IAEA is insisting on India accepting additional protocols that will open the doors to intrusive inspections.

Another problem is that the character of the present US Congress will change in January, when the Democrats will emerge as the majority. That is where one could find delays in the implementation of the deal.

(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Pinterest)