Condoleezza Rice said on Monday that the Bush administration wanted to put the nuclear deal with India to a congressional vote in July.
WASHINGTON: United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a power-lunch hosted by the Indian American community on Monday that the Bush administration “is working hard” to put the nuclear deal with India to a congressional vote in July.
The wealthy American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) and the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) co-hosted the power-lunch in Washington with diplomats, government officials, and US senators to keep the nuclear agreement moving forward.
For the first time, Rice set out a clear timeline for action on the deal. “The Bush administration is working really hard to get the deal voted before summer recess (July 28). US and India will define the new era,” she told the meeting, pointing to the pocketbook benefits of the deal.
“It will give rise to thousands of American jobs, directly or indirectly, and it will benefit the US economy as much as it will benefit the Indian economy.”
Rice added that contrary to proliferation fears, the India-US nuclear partnership would “add to stability and peace”. “We do not support India joining the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a nuclear-weapon state, but we desire to strengthen the NPT by including India as non-proliferating partner,” she said.
In June, the civil nuclear energy deal between India and the US cleared its first major hurdle, easily winning approval from the foreign relations committees of the House and the Senate.
Democratic and Republican leaders in both Houses of Congress have expressed strong support for the bill, which is now due for an early vote as indicated by Rice. The administration is keen on Congress taking up the legislation this month as it wants to secure passage of the deal before the November mid-term congressional elections.
The Indian American lobbying effort on Monday took place to woo lawmakers as the deal comes up for a vote in Congress. The meeting drew India Caucus co-chair Gary Ackerman and others. David Mulford, US ambassador to India, and Richard Boucher, assistant secretary of state in the south and central Asian bureau, also attended the meeting.
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