Indo-US reprocessing agree needs Congress approval: Report

Lalit K Jha

Washington, Apr 19 (PTI) The reprocessing agreement,
a key component of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, which would
allow India to reprocess spent nuclear fuel, may not be
implemented if the Congress adopts joint resolution of
disapproval, a Congressional report has said.

India and the US on March 29 had announced the
conclusion of reprocessing agreement to granting New Delhi
advance consent to reprocess US origin spent fuel and fuel
burned in US reactors.
In a report prepared for the US lawmakers,
independent Congressional Research Service (CRS) has said that
such an agreement needs a Congressional approval.
"The Administration must submit the subsequent
arrangement to Congress, but has not yet done so," said the
CRS report dated April 8.
CRS is an independent research wing of the Congress,
and prepares reports for US lawmakers.
"The proposed arrangement shall not take effect if
Congress adopts a joint resolution of disapproval.
The agreement signed March 29 indicates that India
may construct additional facilities to reprocess fuel from
US-supplied reactors.
However, any such facilities would require a new
subsequent arrangement, which would also be submitted to
Congress," the report said. PTI LKJ
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