Friday, May 12 2006 13:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Asking Congress to support the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, a Republican lawmaker has said it would open trade and investment between both countries in the nuclear energy sector and also give India the opportunity to create alternatives to 'oil dependency.'

Testifying before the House International Relations Committee, Jim Kolbe said, "Here yesterday civil nuclear cooperation will open US-India trade and investment in nuclear energy for the first time in three decades, increasing opportunities for US firms. And in turn creating jobs here at home".

He also pointed out that the agreement, on which Congress will legislate, would give India the opportunity to create 'alternatives to oil dependency'.

He said the US must help India become 'fully independent of all foreign assistance, achieve self sufficiency and join us (America) as a donor nation' and called the agreement an 'important opportunity' to achieve it.

Kolbe said that India had stayed true to the 'letter and intent' of the Non-proliferation treaty even thought it was a non-signatory.

"If Congress enacts this legislation, India will havetougher nuclear scrutiny than is given to China, Russia and the major nuclear powers. None of these countries' reactors are under any inspection regime. India would place at least two-thirds of its programme under the direct eye of the International Atomic Energy Agency," he said.

He also stressed the importance of the deal vis-à-vis American security concerns over Iran.

"Iran and India along with Pakistan have agreed to build US$seven billion pipeline to move Iranian natural gas to India via Pakistan. This only bolsters Iranian power in the region and India's dependency on a regime hostile to the S and our allies," Kolbe emphasised.

Meanwhile, in his remarks to the committee, Democratic Congressman Edward Markey, a long-standing opponent of the deal, said "This legislative proposal is ill conceived .. it undermines US national security interests and sets a dangerous precedent that will be exploited by our adversaries and rivals."

"I also believe that this proposal seriously weakens Congress's role in overseeing and approving the terms of the nuclear trade," Markey said in his formal presentation to the House Panel.

He told fellow lawmakers that it would be a 'mistake' to make the civilian nuclear agreement the 'centrepiece' of a stronger bilateral relationship.

"A lasting partnership between the world's oldest and the world's largest democracies is a great idea and one that I strongly support. But it cannot be built on a faulty foundation. This is precisely what will happen if nuclear energy cooperation is made the centrepiece of the new US-Indian relationship," he said.

"A realistic, safe and practical plan for partnership would be a clean-coal cooperation, not a nuclear one," Markey added.

The House panel featured two of its own members as witnesses; and the private experts were Ashley Tellis of the Carnegie Endowment; Leonard Weiss, an independent consultant, Daryl Kimbal of the Arms Control Association, Fred McGoldrick of Bengelsdorf, McGoldrick Associates and Richard Falkenrath of Brookings Institution.