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Lawmakers Seek Nonproliferation Report Before India Vote By Jon Fox WASHINGTON — Three U.S. lawmakers are calling for the release of an overdue State Department report on weapons proliferators they say could have bearing on the pending U.S.-Indian nuclear agreement (see GSN, July 21). Past reports have included information on groups in India, and as recently as 2005 the United States filed nonproliferation sanctions against two Indian firms. The latest report was due in June but has not yet been submitted as the House of Representatives moves toward action tomorrow on the proposed U.S.-Indian civilian nuclear agreement. There are “persistent rumors” that the State Department is withholding the report to hide its contents before final passage of the agreement, according to a release from Markey’s office. “It would be absolutely unacceptable if the State Department purposefully withheld information relating to Indian entities engaged in proliferation of weapons of mass destruction until after the Congress considers the U.S.-India nuclear agreement,” Markey said in a written statement. Responding to a question yesterday at a daily briefing, State Department spokesman Tom Casey said delays in reports to Congress are not unusual and that the late delivery of this report is unrelated to the pending agreement. “We always endeavor to get all reports to Congress in a timely fashion,” he said. “I think looking at the history of this report, this wouldn’t be the first time that there’s been some delays in getting it to the Hill.” Casey said the report is expected soon and that “there are no political considerations delaying its release.” He did not offer an explanation for the delay. The letter signed by the three representatives calls for the report to be submitted before lawmakers vote on the pending nuclear agreement that has been pushed strongly by the Bush administration. House and Senate foreign affairs committees last month approved legislation that would enable the deal to go through, but required that Congress later have a say on actual approval of the agreement. The proposal would allow India access to U.S. nuclear technology and material, with New Delhi in turn placing its civilian nuclear sites under international monitoring. Action in the House is expected tomorrow, and a vote in the Senate is likely to occur after the summer recess, which begins at the end of next week. Critics have called the agreement a blow to the international nuclear nonproliferation regime. They argue that carving out a deal for India, a nuclear-armed state that is not party to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, degrades the U.S. position in dealing with Iran, a nation Washington suspects is developing nuclear weapons. Unlike India, Iran signed the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty long ago and after concealing extensive nuclear activities for nearly two decades it now permits international inspectors into its nuclear sites. Opponents of the deal have also contended that a secure stream of nuclear fuel granted under the pending deal would allow New Delhi to direct its domestic uranium supplies toward nuclear weapons. Representative Howard Berman (D-Calif.), at a House International Relations subcommittee hearing last week, also pressed a State Department official on rumors of an intentional delay of the nonproliferation report. “Some skeptics have expressed the view that the reason for the delay is you don’t want to tell Congress the sources of proliferation to Iran that could undercut some of your current efforts,” Berman said. Frank Record, the acting head of the State Department’s nonproliferation bureau, said the delay has been frustrating and insisted it was not by design. “There is no ulterior motive, waiting or trying to hold that information back,” he said. Berman asked specifically if Indian entities are listed the report, which is presented to Congress in a classified form. “I don’t recall,” Record said.
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