Wednesday, July 12 2006 11:50 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: The Indo-US civilian nuclear deal is an 'important agenda item' that is 'right at the very top' of the Bush administration list and it is working well with Capitol Hill to get the measure approved, State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack has said.

Asked of the opinion of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on the legislation and if she is in touch with anyone on Capitol Hill, at the briefing yesterday, McCormack said "She's (Rice) had numerous discussions about this important legislation with both members of the House as well as members of the Senate over the past several weeks.

"This is an important initiative. We think it's a good deal for the United States. It's a good deal for nonproliferation."

"So we're working very closely with the House and the Senate to see if this legislation can move forward. So it's an important agenda item for this administration, right at the very top of our list and we're working well with the Congress. They have an important role to play in this in moving that legislation forward," the spokesman said.

On Monday, Rice told a gathering at the Inaugural Unity meeting of the American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and the Asian American Hotel Owners Association that while work on the legislative process through Congress is not done, she was hopeful that the legislation will clear the House of Representatives and the Senate before the summer recess" starts which is at the end of this month.