Rice Urges Congress to Drop “Conditions” on Legislation to Approve U.S.-Indian Nuclear Trade Deal

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has expressed concern about measures the U.S. Congress might attach to its approval of the U.S.-Indian nuclear trade deal, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN, Nov. 20).

The nuclear pact, announced last year by President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, calls for the United States to provide nuclear technology and materials in exchange for India opening its civilian nuclear facilities to international oversight.  To take effect, the deal requires changes to U.S. and international nuclear trade rules.

Both the U.S. House and Senate have passed their own versions of legislation enabling the deal to proceed, but they still need to craft a single bill from the two (see GSN, Nov. 17).

The Senate version calls on India to “fully and actively” support U.S. policies to prevent Iran from developing nuclear-weapon usable technology and also bars India from receiving technology to produce nuclear reactor fuel.

In a letter to lawmakers, Rice urged dropping those measures from the final bill, saying that they could be viewed “as adding additional conditions” and they “could reopen the terms of the initiative to renegotiating.”

Deal proponent Representative Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.) agreed.

“There’s been a consistent sense by the Indian side that there’s been movement of the goal posts” since the two leaders announced the agreement, Crowley said.  “The failure to follow through on the reached agreement between the two countries would send a very negative message to India.”

Critics protested Rice’s efforts to strip the Senate measures.

“It’s not a good day for nuclear nonproliferation,” said Representative Ed Markey (D-Mass.).  “Apparently, Secretary Rice is allergic to even these few nonproliferation fig leaves which have allowed the flawed agreement to proceed” (Foster Klug, Associated Press/International Herald Tribune, Dec. 1).

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