Ccritics are making last-minute efforts to scuttle the accord which they say would make mockery of the US non-proliferation goals.
WASHINGTON: As the House of Representatives prepares for a vote on the Indo-US civilian nuclear technology deal, critics are making last-minute efforts to scuttle the accord which they say would make mockery of the US non-proliferation goals of stopping the spread of nuclear weapons.
Several lawmakers, led by Ed Markey yesterday sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice demanding that the State Department submit a required semiannual report that details the activities of foreigners deemed to have dealt with Iran or Syria in nuclear trade.
They suggested the department was delaying the report till the deal is cleared by the US Congress. Past reports, they noted, have accused India of proliferation.
A staunch critic of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal Rep Ed Markey, who is also Co-Chair of the Bipartisan Taskforce on Non-proliferation, has demanded that the Bush administration immediately release an ''overdue report'' naming all foreign persons who had engaged in the spread of weapons of mass destruction and proliferation related activities.
In the letter to Rice demanding the release of an overdue report, he said , ''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 Indo-US nuclear agreement.''
Joined by Reps Ellen Tauscher of the Armed Services Committee and Barbara Lee of the International Relations Committee, Rep Markey requested the report be released after persistent rumours that the Department of State is withholding the document from
Congress because its contents would embarrass the Bush administration while it is pushing for final passage of its proposal for nuclear cooperation with India.
Rep Tauscher said, ''At a time when the international community is threatened by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, it is critical that the administration release its report on persons that may have provided or received sensitive technology
from Iran and Syria, two rogue nations with a poor record in this area.''
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