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U.S. disquiet over deal impasse

NEW DELHI: The U.S. has expressed disquiet over the stalemate in the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, saying that each day’s delay will make it harder for the U.S. Congress to approve the 123 agreement.

The U.S. said it understood the need for India to resolve the issue domestically, but State Department deputy spokesman Tom Casey said, “The reality, of course, is that every day that goes by is one less day on the legislative calendar for us to be able to have Congressional action take place.”

“So it certainly gets harder every day that this is delayed,” he said, according to a transcript of the briefing available here.

Top non-U.S. diplomats here have said the de facto political understanding was that countries would enter into nuclear commerce with India only after the U.S. Congress approved the 123 agreement with India. This has to be preceded by the finalisation of a safeguards agreement by the International Atomic Energy Agency followed by unanimous exemption by the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

“We believe and we continue to believe that this arrangement is in the best interests of India, the U.S. and the broader international community because it will strengthen non-proliferation regimes that are out there. That said, the Indian government has internal political issues that it needs to work through. And certainly, we continue to support this and we believe it’s in our interests, but it certainly becomes harder to do so as the realities of the U.S. legislative calendar move forward,” Mr. Casey added.

While hoping that the deal and the agreement would be supported by the next U.S. government which takes office in January next, he cautioned that the new government “will have to look at this and make their own decisions on it.”

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