Tuesday, July 11 2006 10:32 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Stressing that the legislative process on the Indo-US civilian nuclear energy deal is 'not done', Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said the Bush administration is 'hard at work' with Congress to pass the initiative before it goes for summer recess this month.

"Our work is not yet done. The enabling legislation must now be voted on by the full bodies of both houses. So we are hard at work with both houses of Congress, especially with the India caucuses. And we are encouraging both the Senate and House to vote on the civil nuclear initiative this month, before the summer recess" Rice said in her address to the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and the Asian American Hotel Owners Association.

Rice also made the point that the legislation has cleared both the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House International Relations Committee and as the process winds itself up Washington expects India to live up to its part of the commitments as per the accord of July 18,2005.

"As we work to win passage of the initiative through our own democratic process, I want to note that we are mindful that this decision has also not been easy for Prime Minister Singh and for India. Some in India perhaps want to keep America at arm's length. And the Prime Minister has had his own domestic fights against protectionism, but to his great credit he has won support for the civil nuclear initiative in India," he said.

"Now, we look forward to India fulfilling its remaining commitments under the agreements that we made on July 18th of last year" Rice said.