House of Representatives to debate N-deal

The landmark Indo-US nuclear deal gets into legislative gear on Wednesday when the House of Representatives takes it up for debate and vote to facilitate the implementation of the pact, which would mark an important step in transforming the strategic alliance between the two countries.

The legislation -- The United States and India Nuclear Cooperation Promotion Act -- has broad bi-partisan support and is expected to clear the House without much difficulty. Ahead of the debate, the powerful Rules Committee of the House is meeting to finalise the framework of debate and in the amendments that will be allowed to be voted upon.

The expectation is that there will be some two to three hours of debate which will then be followed by a vote. Wednesday's vote is part of a drawn out legislative process to ratify the deal, which also has to be cleared by the Nuclear Suppliers Group, an assembly of nations that export nuclear material.

The deal, signed last year by US President George W Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already been endorsed by two crucial Congressional panels. Last month the House International Relations Committee voted overwhelmingly to move the Bill to the floor of the House.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee also moved its version of the legislation by a strong bipartisan vote.

"The measure is an important step in transforming the strategic alliance of two of the oldest and largest democracies while strengthening international security" the Chair of the House International Relations Committee Henry Hyde remarked while Marking Up the legislation in his committee on June 27.

The nuclear deal has its share of critics -- primarily from a non-proliferation point of view -- and many of them are expected to voice their dissent to the legislation. And what has complicated matters for the supporters of the legislation is news from Pakistan that it is greatly enhancing its nuclear programme. The Bush administration's acknowledgment that it had known Pakistani plans for sometime has not helped either.

One impression is that the administration has withheld critical information from Congress and at a time when the legislature is considering the civilian nuclear deal and all its ramifications including the possibility of an arms race in the sub continent. "...We are about to consider ground breaking legislation that tailors United States policy to new global realities, advances our country's non proliferation goals and reinforces the critical Congressional role of oversight of the Executive Branch," Ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee Tom Lantos said during the Mark Up of the legislation in the Panel.

"The administration also asked that Congress to waive all the current prohibitions on nuclear cooperation with India. Our balanced legislation... will provide the administration with some of the authority it sought to allow expanded peaceful, nuclear related trade with India to take place, but certainly not all," Lantos remarked.

The House vote will be followed by a vote in the Senate. The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Richard Lugar recently said that the Senate will not be taking up the nuclear legislation prior to breaking off for the summer recess on August 4. Lugar and some of his other colleagues like Senators Ben Nelson of Nebraska and John Cornyn of Texas have said that scheduling is the main issue. The thinking is that the Senate will be taking up the legislation -- S 3709-- when it returns from the summer in the first week of September. Timing is very important for there is the announced target adjournment date of October 7 and Congressional elections are on November 7.

"...This agreement is the most important strategic diplomatic initiative undertaken by President Bush...  the President has embraced a long term outlook that seeks to enhance the core of our foreign policy in a way that will give us new diplomatic options and improve global stability," he said at his panel's consideration of the US-India deal. The House and the Senate versions of the legislations are quite different in the manner they have been written and hence will have to be reconciled for language. The Senate version of the legislation is highly detailed and technical. This will come about at a conference committee where designated lawmakers of the House and the Senate will thrash out the details.

The Bush administration also hopes to use the conference stage to address some of the concerns raised by India.