Rice pushing for Congress OK for nuke deal before Sept 26

Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington, Sep 18 (PTI) As the Senate prepared for a
crucial hearing on the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, U.S. Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice was in the midst of another round of
hectic lobbying with key lawmakers to secure Congress'
approval of the pact before its session ends on September 26.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee' hearing later
Thursday is seen as a positive sign in getting the endorsement
of the Senate for the nuke deal with the Bush administration
racing against time to get the clearance of the U.S. Congress.

A number of U.S. lawmakers meanwhile were coming out
openly to persuade their colleagues for a quick approval of
the landmark agreement.

Following up on a joint letter to fellow Congressmen,
South Carolina Republican Joe Wilson, who has been a very
strong supporter of the accord, called on fellow lawmakers to
pass the measure in an expedient manner so that it can be
beneficial to both countries.

The senior Congressman has written a letter to all his
colleagues in the House of Representatives throwing his weight
behind the deal and appending an article written in 'The New
York Post' that backed the agreement.

Rice briefed visiting MPs led by Parliamentary Affairs
Minister Vayalar Ravi about the steps being taken by the Bush
Administration to push the deal through Congress.

The top official is said to have told the delegation that
after their meeting she was travelling to Capitol Hill to
continue efforts to push the civilian nuclear initiative.

The move assumes significance as Rice is visiting Capitol
Hill for a meeting with lawmakers who could play a key role in
clearing the deal, just ahead of the major Senate hearing.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee has not scheduled a
hearing and senior aides in the House have pointed out that
while hearings are educational they are not mandatory but
purely optional.

Still, there is no word from the Chairman of the House
Panel, California Democrat Howard Berman who is a known
sceptic of the nuclear deal on non-proliferation grounds.

During the meeting with Ravi, Rice expressed happiness
at the present state of the depth and width of the bilateral
ties, while the Indian Minister is said to have voiced
satisfaction over the "right direction" of relations.
Wilson in his letter in his individual capacity said,
"Dear colleague, I would like to refer your attention to
the September 15, 2008 New York Post article written in
support of the U.S.-India Civilian Nuclear Agreement."

As co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and
Indian Americans, Wilson said he is pleased to see the
historic agreement winning approval from the International
Atomic Energy Agency and the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

"India has a sterling record of non-proliferation, a
policy of no-first use for nuclear weapons, and the focus of
the agreement is to promote peaceful civilian nuclear
cooperation. Passage of this measure in an expedient manner
will be beneficial to both of our countries," Wilson wrote.

A similar letter has already been circulated to all the
435 members of the U.S. Congress, signed by Democrats Gary
Ackerman, Joseph Crowley and Frank Pallone as also Wilson and
California Republican Edward Royce