Saturday, April 22 2006 12:00 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Hoping that the historic nuclear deal would be approved by the US Congress, India has said that concerns raised by some about non-proliferation were not very credible and should not prevent anyone from endorsing the pact.

"We really appreciate the fact that President (George W) Bush has taken strong action; Secretary (of State Condoleezza) Rice's testimony before Congress is a very strong affirmation of the deal and the need for the deal and the fact that it is good for the US, it is good for India," Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia said at a mediaevent at the Indian Embassy here.

"We hope it (the deal) will go through Congress. I am not surprised there are non-proliferation concerns. But from our point of view, I don't think those concerns should prevent anybody from endorsing the deal," he said.

"The fact is that India has an impeccable record on non-proliferation and the biggest source of proliferation have been other countries, many of whom are signatories to the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty)," he said.

"So the notion that you can't do something for India because India is not a signatory to the NPT and this isbecause you are concerned about non-proliferation, I don't think it is a very credible argument," he added.