Indian Nuclear Deal Ready for Full Congressional Vote Today

U.S. House and Senate lawmakers agreed yesterday to final legislation exempting India from U.S. nuclear nonproliferation laws, clearing the way for a U.S.-Indian nuclear trade deal to proceed, the Associated Press reported (see GSN, Dec. 6).

The full houses are expected to vote on the bill today and send it to U.S. President George W. Bush for signature.  Easy passage is expected on the final bill because the two earlier bills were easily approved in their respective houses.

One measure opposed by the White House was loosened yesterday to require only a presidential report on the India’s support of U.S. efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions, AP reported.  Lawmakers had considered requiring a formal presidential certification that India was helping, but backed off after receiving a letter of protest from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (see GSN, Dec. 1).

Resisting the Bush administration on another measure, the final bill includes a ban on transferring uranium enrichment or plutonium reprocessing equipment to India, according to AP (Foster Klug, Associated Press I, Dec. 8).

Bush administration officials praised the final bill and looked forward to future U.S.-Indian nuclear trade.

“This is a major, historic step forward for both our countries,” Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said during a visit yesterday to New Delhi.  “The civil nuclear agreement in our eyes is the symbolic center of this new strategic partnership between India and the United States” (Associated Press II/Santa Fe New Mexican, Dec. 8).

The planned deal calls for the United States to provide nuclear technology and materials to India in exchange for India opening its civilian nuclear sector to international oversight.  Because India has not signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, U.S. and international export control rules must be modified before any trade can begin.

Traditional nonproliferation advocates criticized the new legislation for exempting India from those rules.

“The so-called congressional nonproliferation leaders, Senators Joe Biden (D-Del.) and Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) and Congressmen Tom Lantos (D-Calif.) and Henry Hyde (D-Ill.) have concluded a bill that makes a mockery of U.S. nonproliferation objectives and given in to many, though not all, of the Indian government’s objections to their original legislation,” said Daryl Kimball, head of the Arms Control Association.

“We should all be outraged,” concurred Henry Sokolski of the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center (Reuters/New York Times, Dec. 8).

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