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Indo-US deal on track
THE United States Congress has passed the much-talked about Indo-American civilian nuclear accord bill, and the deal has crossed all major hurdles towards its implementation. The House of Representatives passed it by 298-117 votes, and the Senate approved it by 87-13 votes. Now the accord awaits the formal signing by the two governments.
Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh earlier met United States President George W. Bush in Washington, mainly to discuss the deal in an effort to get it implemented before the expiry of the Bush administration's term. Both India and the United States consider the deal as a "landmark" development in their ties.
In India, the accord survived a critically important test when the government won a vote of confidence on the issue, and later some other positive developments took place, including a green signal by the 45-nation nuclear supplier group that agreed to lift ban on India about civilian nuclear trade.
In the United States, the bill has been approved by the Congress. This ratification is necessary before the president gives his consent. But the clock is ticking as the United States is moving towards the November presidential elections. It is under these circumstances that the Indian prime minister, after attending the United Nations General Assembly session, met president Bush in Washington. Unquestionably, the US president is also keen to see it go through as he himself proposed it during his visit to India in 2005. Now Bush has told Manmohan that he is working hard on the deal.
The treaty was clearly hanging in the balance till the Indian government removed the major domestic hurdle when it won the parliamentary vote of confidence. The deal, seen by many as significant for both nations, was agreed in principle when President George W. Bush visited India in 2005.
The two sides later met several times to finalise the details, but the agreement remained far from being implemented mainly because of problems in the Indian side. It was not that the Indian government showed scant interest or any sign of unwillingness. In fact, New Delhi is all out to go ahead with the accord, which it considers as a big achievement for India.
But the government's erstwhile supporters, the leftists, were not favourably disposed to such a development with the United States. On the contrary, they felt that the Manmohan Singh government was taking India "too close" to the US. Obviously, the communists cannot relish such a situation.
Since the support of the leftists was critically important for the government, which does not have absolute majority in the parliament, Dr. Singh's administration was faced with a difficult situation. Nevertheless, the government went ahead with the preparations and, not surprisingly, the leftists parted ways with Manmohan's administration, which succeeded in finding new allies to win a non-confidence motion on the nuke issue.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist), the main leftist force, and its allies were opposed to the US on ideological grounds. They were not supposed to endorse a close relationship with Washington, but the government of Dr. Manmohan Singh has developed deeper ties with the US.
The civilian atomic cooperation accord is an eyesore for the leftists, and it is no surprise. Even after their withdrawal of support to the Manmohan government and loss of the vote of confidence, the left parties are still keeping the pot boiling against the deal. When the prime minister was meeting the US president in Washington, they were demonstrating against the bill. Evidently, they are licking their wounds since the accord has crossed practically all major barriers.
President Bush undoubtedly made serious efforts to get the bill passed by the Congress, which is pre-occupied by such issues like the elections of a new president and lately, and in a way more importantly, with the economic crisis that has gripped the US with a magnitude that few could anticipate. He told Singh that he was sparing no efforts to get it passed by the Congress as quickly as possible, which has been done.
This has definitely made the Indian prime minister upbeat. With elections nearing in India, the ruling coalition feels that the deal, that is expected to help energy-starved India, will help the government in the coming polls.
The pact would allow the US to sell nuclear materials to a country that has tested nuclear weapons, but has refused to sign international treaties designed to limit the illicit spread of such materials. The accord will reverse three decades of American policy by shipping atomic fuel to India in return for international inspections of Indian nuclear facilities. Several parties in India are opposed to this inspection of Indian reactors.
The pact is not without controversy in both countries. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass), a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has said that the deal poses unacceptable risks to US national security. "Unbelievably, if India tests a nuclear weapon, the deal does not cut-off their supply," he said in clear disapproval of the accord.
The supporters of the bill say that opposition to it is much less than the support, as the Senate and the House of Representatives have passed the bill. The administration had warned that failure to ratify to the deal would keep the US companies from doing business in India's multi-billion dollar nuclear-energy sector.
Both President Bush and Prime Minister Singh have welcomed the passing of the bill by the Congress, and have expressed the hope that this would usher in a new era of cooperation between the two countries.
The two governments have high stakes in the nuclear accord. Bush is understandably enthusiastic to see it implemented before he relinquishes office in January next year. Manmohan is keen to clinch it as early as possible for obvious reasons. Both sides are making every effort.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said that a landmark deal lifting a ban on civilian nuclear trade with India would be inked, soon after a scheduled signing during her just-concluded visit to India was postponed. The postponement has given rise to speculation about last-minute differences on certain matters. In any case, the accord will not suffer since both the major parties in the US Congress have by and large supported it.
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