US Congress approves bill on civil nuclear cooperation with India

The U.S. Congress approved the nuclear cooperation deal between the United States and India early on Saturday to allow U.S. shipments of civilian nuclear fuel to India.

The Senate passed the bill following overwhelming endorsement late Friday in the House of Representatives, thus paving the way for U.S. President George W. Bush to sign it into law.

"I am pleased that our two countries will soon have increased opportunities to work together to meet our energy needs in a manner that does not increase air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, promotes clean development, supports nonproliferation and advances our trade interests," Bush said in a statement on Saturday.

"I appreciate Congress's support for the US-India civil nuclear cooperation initiative," he added. "I look forward to signing this bill into law soon."

The legislation, a hybrid of separate bills passed by the House and Senate, is a crucial step toward the implementation of a nuclear agreement between Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July last year.

The bill, entitled "Henry J. Hyde United States-India Peaceful Atomic Energy Cooperation Act of 2006," was named after Henry Hyde, the outgoing Republican chairman of the House International Relations Committee.

The bill will enable India to get access to civilian nuclear fuel and technology and oblige the country to allow the international community to scrutinize its atomic reactors.

The United States cut off its nuclear cooperation with India after the South Asian nation conducted its first nuclear tests in 1998.

The bill set a precedent for India, which is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. The U.S. Atomic Energy Act prohibits nuclear sales to non-NPT signatories.

The legislation is also in contradiction to the obligations of Washington as a lead signatory of the NPT. The treaty obligates its signatories not to provide assistance to the nuclear programs of states that did not sign the NPT.

There are still several legal hurdles to be removed before the United States and India start civil nuclear cooperation, including a comprehensive agreement on technical elements of the bill, which again needs congressional approval.

Source: Xinhua