Nuclear Bill takes big Senate test

Washington: The US Senate on Thursday began debating a Bill to implement the Indo-US civil nuclear deal with an influential Republican Senator warning colleagues that he would oppose any attempts to delay or impose additional conditions on the agreement.

Richard Lugar, chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the House would not advance US national security interests by impeding the passage of the bill.

"We should not hold up the significant non-proliferation gains afforded by this initiative in order to seek a fissile material cap that India has indicated it will not consider in the absence of similar commitments by Pakistan and China," he said, making the first presentation in support of the legislation.

During the course of the day, Senators are expected to debate the 18 amendments to the Bill known as the United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act S 3709.

It is expected that many amendments will be settled through a voice vote. A similar Bill to implement the deal was passed by the House of Representatives on July 26.

Lugar, who is managing the Bill on the floor, urged his colleagues to approve the legislation, stressing that it is "an opportunity to build a vital strategic partnership" with India, a country that not only shares America's democratic values but one that will exert increasing influence on the world stage.

"We have constructed a Bill that allows the US to seize an important strategic opportunity, while ensuring a strong Congressional oversight role, reinforcing US non-proliferation efforts and maintaining our responsibilities under the NPT," Lugar said.

"The US and India have engaged in initial discussions on a multi-lateral Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT), to be negotiated in the Conference on Disarmament. We should press for rapid progress in that context," he said.

Lugar reminded the Senate that during the Foreign Relations Committee's mark-up, it rejected an amendment that said the President would have to determine with absolute certainty that no US nuclear fuel exports to India could increase its production of fissile materials for weapons.

"New Delhi would rightly see this as moving the goalposts—an unacceptable unilateral alteration of the pact," he said, adding such amendments would "kill" the nuclear deal if they are included in the final legislation.

At the start of the Senate session, Majority Leader Bill Frist and Minority Leader Harry Reid expressed confidence that the House would take a stand on the Bill either on Thursday or before breaking away for the Thanksgiving recess tomorrow.

"I think it is so important to do whatever we can to pass this nuclear agreement that has been negotiated with India," Reid said. "I am hopeful we can finish it today, tonight or tomorrow. There is no reason we shouldn't be able to."

US President George W Bush on Thursday spoke to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on phone and said he was "hopeful" about the US Congress moving forward on the nuclear deal.

Singh appreciated Bush's commitment to the agreement and hoped the bill in its final form would "accommodate India's stated concerns."

Calling the agreement a "victory" for bilateral relations, the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joseph Biden warned his colleagues that they cannot "let the perfect be the enemy of the good" in that every time the Senate was presented with a treaty, the feeling somehow came about that the administration could have done better.

"The Senate is engaged in a truly historic process. When we pass this bill, America will be a giant step closer to approving a major shift in US-Indian relations. If we are right, this shift will increase the prospect for stability and progress in South Asia and in the world at large," Biden said while opening his comments on the floor of the Senate.

"The Committee on Foreign Relations has worked to move this project forward, while safeguarding the role of Congress and minimizing any harm to nuclear non-proliferation policies and institutions. I urge my colleagues to support this bill," he said.

"The ultimate success of this agreement will rest on India's willingness and ability to reduce tensions with its nuclear neighbours and achieve nuclear stability. We all hope to see the day when India and Pakistan voluntarily reduce or end their fissile material production, as the recognized NPT nuclear weapons states already have done," Biden said.

Biden was followed by the Democratic Senator from North Dakota, Senator Byron Dorgan, a long-time critic of the nuclear agreement who made the point right away that he came to the Senate floor "with a different view".

Dorgan argued that approving the civilian nuclear agreement would witness the "beginning down of a troublesome road."

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