Top US senators set July deadline for India-US nuclear deal

Feb 20, 2008, 17:01 GMT

New Delhi - Top US senators who met Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said New Delhi should complete negotiations related to a bilateral nuclear deal so that it can be ratified by the US Congress before the end of July, a news report said.

Joseph Biden, the chairman of the important Senate Foreign Relations Committee who led the three-member team consisting of senators John Kerry and Chuck Hagel, said the nuclear deal would have to be renegotiated if a Democrat became the next US president, the IANS news agency reported.

'It will be very difficult if it is not ratified by the US Congress by July-end,' Biden was quoted by the IANS news agency as saying.

'Time is of essence. July is the end ... If it is not done by the end of July, the deal does not go through. It has to reach the US Congress before June,' he stressed.

Biden said the deal will have to be renegotiated if the next US president is a Democrat. 'It's highly unlikely that the next president will be able to present the deal in its present form,' he said, emphasizing that the Democratic Party, which has strong views on nuclear proliferation and arms control, will re-negotiate the deal if it comes to power.

According to the senators, Singh explained the difficulties in the deal, but was hopeful of concluding the agreement.

'It is critical that if India wanted the deal, they should move on it relatively soon, preferably in the matter of weeks,' Biden said.

The deal would allow the US to provide nuclear technology and materials for Indian civilian reactors even though New Delhi has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Since late last year, India and the International Atomic Energy Agency have been negotiating the draft safeguards agreement which is required to implement the civilian nuclear deal.

But the progress on the deal has been stalled by opposition from the left-wing partners of the ruling coalition, who say the deal would give the US leverage over India's foreign and security policies.

The communist parties have threatened to withdraw support for Manmohan Singh's government over the issue, which could result in early general elections.

After India concludes talks with the IAEA, the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group will have to approve the nuclear deal and change its guidelines allowing for the resumption of nuclear trade with India.

The bilateral India-US nuclear cooperation agreement - also known as the 123 agreement - will then have to be approved by the US Congress before nuclear cooperation can begin between the two countries.