Tuesday, August 30 2005 15:28 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: The US Congress will soon take a hard look at President George W. Bush's plan to share civilian nuclear technology with India, a proposal that could bolster an important US ally though some fear it would open the floodgates to nuclear proliferation.

Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the agreement during a visit to Washington last month. Before the technology can be shipped to India, Congress must approve an exception to or change the US law banning civilian nuclear cooperation with countries that have not submitted to full nuclear inspections.

The administration will start pushing its case in earnest after lawmakers return from their summer break on Sept. 6. Already, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has sought support from Congressional leaders.

Some legislators believe the deal would rewrite the rules on how the world exchanges nuclear supplies. India has refused to sign the international Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and some fear that the Bush plan could eventually allow rogue counties outside the NPT to build nuclear weapons programmes with imported civilian nuclear technology.

Others call it a clever US strategy to help sate a thirst for energy in the world's largest democracy while setting up nuclear safeguards. If China's influence in Asia is counterbalanced by India's new strength and prestige, they argue, so much the better.

"At the end of the day, historians are going to judge this agreement primarily by whether or not it does provide a convenient pretext for other non-nuclear weapons states to become nuclear weapons states," said Robert Hathaway, director of the Woodrow Wilson Centre's Asia Program.