The delegation is billed as the grandmother of all US trade tours
NEW YORK: More than a dozen US firms hoping to sell nuclear equipment to New Delhi are heading to India on November 29. “We will be meeting officials of India’s Nuclear Power Corporation, nuclear regulatory commission, government officials, and private-sector players,” said Ron Somers, president of the United States-India Business Council, which has engaged the politically well-connected Patton Boggs law firm to lobby lawmakers.
The six-city Indian business tour, to be led by US Undersecretary of Commerce for International Trade Franklin L Lavin, will include Westinghouse Electric Company, General Electric, Bechtel Power, WM Mining Company, ConverDyn, BWXT Technologies, Thorium Power Company, the Nuclear Business Group, and the Nuclear Energy Institute. With more than 100 US firms joining the delegation, Lavin’s mission has been billed as the grandmother of all US trade tours.
Lobbyists say the Democrats now hold the key to making the Indo-US nuclear deal a reality. After all, their opposition to the deal in the Senate has held up its approval. There is nervousness in New Delhi that the pact could slip away if it is not taken up by the Senate when it returns for the short-burst ‘lame-duck’ session on November 13.
“We are optimistic that the India bill will weather the shift in the political climate,” said a member of the Coalition for Partnership with India. “Possibly, the new dynamics would enhance the prospects for early approval as both parties seek to demonstrate comity.”
“We’ve met key Democratic leaders to press our case, and are optimistic that it will be done.” said Anurag Verma, consul for the India-US Friendship Council.
President Bush and Senator Harry Reid, Democrat, both agreed that the Indian nuclear bill should be part of the legislative agenda when the Senate reconvenes next week.
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