Spotlight
N-deal gets Senate panel nod as Manmohan Singh arrives
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Washington: As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived in the United States, a key Senate panel approved the landmark India civil-nuclear deal raising hopes it may yet be done before he meets President George Bush Thursday.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 19-2 in favour of the accord at a business meeting Tuesday afternoon with only Wisconsin Democrat Russell Feingold and California Democrat Barbara Boxer voting against the agreement. The only amendment moved by Feingold to toughen restrictions on selling India the technology to reprocess nuclear fuel was defeated on a 15-4 vote.
The senate step pushed the prospects of the deal's approval by the full Congress before the Manmohan Singh-Bush meeting, but there is still an element of lingering uncertainty with the House Committee on Foreign Affairs yet to indicate if and when it's going to take up the issue. Another major hurdle is the fact that lawmakers and officials are grappling with a $700 billion Bush administration bailout plan for Wall Street facing a meltdown rushing to complete the process by Sep 26 when they break for the Nov 4 election.There are some indications that the Congress session may be extended by a week to deal with the massive crisis threatening the US financial system.
The India deal could be pushed into that grey area. Alternatively the Congress could take it up with other pending legislations in a lame duck session after the elections. Manmohan Singh acknowledged as much as he expressed cautious optimism about the deal being wrapped up during his US trip ending Saturday.
"We are hopeful that the deal will be finalised," he told reporters as he flew from Frankfurt to New Yorksaid. But "much will depend on the US Congress," he added noting, "They (US) are preoccupied with the global financial situation."Democratic vice presidential candidate Joseph R. Biden, who is also the chairman of the panel, as also it's top Republican member Dick Lugar, hailed the approval of the legislation as a "significant" and "important" steps towards seizing "an important strategic opportunity."
"It's a very important milestone in the relations between two great democracies," said Democrat Christopher J. Dodd, who chaired the afternoon hearing in the absence of Biden away campaigning.
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