Click to play videoNew Delhi: Armed with the NSG waiver, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is set to embark on a 10-day visit to the US and France Monday afternoon amid increasing fears that the Indo-US nuclear deal may not be able to clear the US Congressional hurdle in time.
Singh, who had last addressed the UN General Assembly in 2005, will be in New York from September 23 to 27.
But the buzz from Washington DC is that there will be no fireworks on the nuclear deal.
As the US battles one of the worst financial crises since the Great Depression of 1929, Singh’s visit to the US could not have been more ill-timed. In such a scenario, it’s unlikely that the US Congress would have the time or the inclination to review the highly-touted Indo-US nuclear deal despite George W Bush’s best effort.
Bush is pushing the US Congress to make sure it delivers the final package before its session ends on September 26.
There's speculation that the Congressional session may be extended to the first week of October and there could be a lame-duck session in December. However, there’s no final word on that so far.
White House Press Secretary Dana Parino on Friday said that the Bush is hopeful that Singh’s visit to Washington would push the nuclear trade agreement forward.
Parley Agenda |
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(From PTI) |
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