Wednesday, April 26 2006 19:02 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Former US Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill today (Apr 26, 2006) expressed the hope that Indo-US nuclear deal would be approved by Congress by June but said it appeared to be a 'very ambitious target'.

"I am optimistic that a significant majority in both houses of the US Congress will vote for it. They will support it and vote for it when the voting happens in the present form as it is being formulated," Blackwill who is now President, Barbour Griffith and Rogers International said at a CII meet here.

He, however, said that the timeframe would be crucial and the deal has to be got through by June though it looks like a 'very ambitious target.

"It is very hard to do things rapidly in the US Congress. It will be a daunting task to get the agreement through before the Congress adjourns by end of June," Blackwill said, adding that the Congress would re-assemble in September and then it would be pre-occoupied with election of representatives and such other work which would delay the deal indefinitely.

He clarified that the Congress would have no problem in clearing the nuclear deal and arguments like Pakistan too would like to have a similar deal, it would present India in bad light and accuse it of bad behaviour and that it would impact non-proliferation regime would not act as obstacles.

"They would approve it on the basis of strategic long term relation with India," he said.