Saturday, June 24 2006 10:49 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: With the India-US nuclear deal coming up for review by foreign relations panels of both houses of US Congress next week, anti-deal lobbyists have stepped up their campaign saying India should not be made an 'exception' to existing American laws.



One such group delivered tin cans with labels that read 'Can the President's US-India Nuclear Deal' to key members of the House and Senate as part of a national lobbying campaign which includes lobby visits, phone calls and sending of emails and letters to the legislators.

Standing in front of a stack of tin cans before they were delivered to members of Congress Thursday, an official of the group argued that the president's proposed agreement with India would weaken global efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.

"The US should support efforts to block the spread of weapons of mass destruction by refusing to reward countries such as India that build nuclear bombs," said Joe Volk, Executive Secretary of The Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL), a registered religious lobby in Washington.



"Instead the president is asking Congress to write an "India exception" to existing US laws that ban nuclear collaboration with countries that have not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty," he said.



"Before signing this agreement, the president must persuade Congress to change US laws that ban nuclear collaboration with countries that refuse to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)," Volk said.