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Nuclear deal enters last lap

Washington: The India-U.S. nuclear deal has moved into the last lap clearing a major hurdle on Saturday when the House of Representatives approved a bill on it. The legislation will now go to the Senate which is likely to vote on it on Monday.

Once the Senate clears it, the agreement reached between the two countries three years ago will be ready for final ratification by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee when she visits New Delhi on October 3.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the landmark agreement could be brought to a vote in his Chamber, possibly as early as Monday, and urged his colleagues to drop their objections.

After a lot of drama and suspense, the House of Representatives passed the bill on an unusual extra day of sitting with bipartisan support but a considerable number of Democrats opposed it.

The Berman Bill H R 7081, named after Howard Berman, a Democrat initially strongly opposed to the deal on non-proliferation grounds, was adopted with 298 voting for and 117 against it. One lawmaker merely voted present.

Despite the bipartisan support the bill received, 107 Democrats voted against the legislation while 120 of their party colleagues voted for it. In the Republican Party, only 10 voted against it while 178 voted in its favour.

Mr. Bush hailed the House’s adoption of the India-U.S. nuclear deal as “another major step forward” in achieving transformation of bilateral ties.

National Security Adviser M.K. Narayanan welcomed the adoption of the deal by the House saying it was a matter of great satisfaction. — PTI

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