Warning on N-deal talks

WASHINGTON: Democratic Party Congressman Tom Lantos is a man of many words, and when he talks those many words, people, and governments, listen.

On Wednesday, the man who will introduce the landmark Bill for an important mark-up in the House Foreign Relations Committee along with its chairman Henry Hyde on June 27 said that India could jeopardise the deal if New Delhi did not act responsibly.

He was specifically referring to India voting in favour of Iran at a meeting of 114 countries of the Non-Aligned Movement which backed Iran’s nuclear ambitions. It may be recalled that India had voted against Iran in two meetings of the International Atomic Energy Agency in September 2005 and February 2006.

“This is a very negative phenomenon,” Lantos said at a media event held at the US Capitol on Wednesday. “I honestly hope there will be a great deal of care taken by our Indian friends if they want the agreement to get through Congress and become reality. Let me make it very clear to our Indian friends — there should be no repetition of this.”

He said that India’s actions in international forums like the NAM could be seen as irresponsible by the US Congress, and could be a crucial “dealbreaker”. “I am confident that the legislation will be approved when it will come to vote in the third or fourth week of July, but both sides should be careful about what happens in the meanwhile,” Lantos said.

“The position taken by NAM on Iran is diametrically opposite to that of the US and the other permanent members of the UN Security Council, and also Germany.”

At a recent NAM meeting, India and other nations ignored the US initiative to come to the negotiations table with Iran, saying all states have the right, without any discrimination, to nuclear research and energy production.

“I fail to understand what the NAM has in common with the great state of India,” he said. Lantos added that the nuclear agreement debate is in its most crucial stage now as both he and Hyde have concluded drafting the bipartisan bill approving the deal in the House of Representatives. The Senate’s version of the deal is expected to be ready by next week when it too will initiate a debate.

“In the next one month, people on both sides will make irresponsible statements, and we have to be careful to ignore those and move forward. This is a historic deal, and I will be backing it to the maximum. We have turned a corner in the US-India relationship. It is no secret that the initial deal was a non-starter. I introduced modifications that could be acceptable to Congress. We hope that either side does not introduce clauses that could be a dealbreakers in what could be a historic moment.”