Bush pushing Senate to vote on India nuclear deal
UNITED STATES: President George W. Bush has appealed to Republican
leaders to ensure the Senate votes on a nuclear cooperation agreement
with India before it adjourns this month, senior U.S. officials said.
The Senate is rushing to finish its legislative business by Sept. 29
but has yet to set a date for voting on the India the agreement.
The accord would give India access to U.S. nuclear fuel and reactors
banned for 30 years because New Delhi refused to sign the nuclear
Non-proliferation Treaty and developed nuclear weapons.
"There can be no doubt that this is a foreign policy priority" of
Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Assistant Secretary of
State Richard Boucher told Reuters.
He admitted there was still no firm date for Senate action, but
expressed confidence that when the vote occurs, there will be strong
support for the deal, as there was when the House of Representatives
approved it in July.
Another senior administration official, who asked not to be named,
said government officials have been urging senators to act and Bush has
made direct appeals.
The agreement "has been a very high priority for the president and it
still is," the official said.
The main complication is unrelated legislation attached to the Senate
India bill, which would push Washington to implement a long-delayed
commitment to expanded inspections by the U.N. nuclear watchdog of
American civilian nuclear facilities.
Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, chairman of the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee, and Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, the
panel's senior Democrat, linked the two bills to improve chances the
inspection protocol would be approved.
The administration official who spoke anonymously said, however, that
the differences "don't appear to be insurmountable" and a compromise is
likely.
Even if the Senate votes soon, its bill will have to be reconciled
with the House version and be sent back to both chambers for a final
vote.
Washington, Friday, Reuters |