Energy News  
India must pass by July key India-US nuclear deal: US senators

by Staff Writers
New Delhi (AFP) Feb 20, 2008
India must complete by July all steps needed to conclude a nuclear technology deal with Washington to ensure the US Congress approves it before the presidential polls, three US senators said on Wednesday.

The India-US civilian nuclear energy deal has been held up due to stiff opposition from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Communist allies who prop up the minority Congress-led government.

"Time is of the essence," said Joseph Biden, one of three Democratic senators who were on a one-day visit to New Delhi after monitoring Pakistan's parliamentary elections earlier this week.

The pact still needs approval from the International Atomic Energy Agency to place India's civilian nuclear reactors under UN safeguards as well as from the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, which regulates global civilian nuclear trade.

The agreement, which would give New Delhi crucial access to civilian atomic technology, requires final approval by the US Congress where it currently enjoys bipartisan support.

But Washington officials say the deal is running out of time with a tight 2008 legislative calendar ahead of November's US presidential elections.

"If we don't have the deal back with us clearly prior to the month of July it will be very difficult to ratify the deal -- not on the merits (of the deal) but on the mechanics on which our system functions," Biden told a news conference.

He warned that if the deal did not reach the US Congress in time, "it is highly unlikely the next president will be able to present the same deal.

"It will be renegotiated," he said.

Biden's warning came a week after India's most prominent Marxist politician Prakash Karat said his party wanted to see India and the United States hold fresh talks on the nuclear pact under a new US administration.

India tested nuclear weapons in 1974 and 1998 and, as a result, is banned from buying fuel for atomic reactors and related equipment.

India's government, which says the deal is vital to keep its energy-hungry economy growing, has agreed to open 14 of India's 22 reactors to international inspections in return for technology and atomic plants.

But the Communists oppose the deal, saying it threatens India's nuclear weapons programme and allies the country too closely with the United States.

The deal, first agreed to by US President George W. Bush and Singh in 2005, is regarded by the governments of the two nations as a cornerstone of new, warmer Indo-US ties.

Former US presidential candidate John Kerry, who accompanied Biden along with US Senator Chuck Hagel, said New Delhi should clear the decks for the deal as soon as possible.

"July is the end -- it's only an even chance even then" that the deal will be cleared by the US Congress, Kerry said.

According to Biden, Singh "appeared to be still optimistic" about the bill's clearance by India despite opposition from the left parties.

Community
Email This Article
Comment On This Article

Related Links
Civil Nuclear Energy Science, Technology and News
Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com



Memory Foam Mattress Review
Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News


Progress Energy Carolinas Takes Next Step To Secure Region's Energy Future
Raleigh NC (SPX) Feb 20, 2008
Progress Energy Carolinas announced that it will file a combined operating license (COL) application with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) later today for two possible new reactors at the existing Harris Nuclear Plant site near New Hill, N.C. Nuclear power is one of three components of the company's balanced solution strategy, which also includes the use of renewable energy sources and an emphasis on energy efficiency.







  • UNEP calls for end to barriers on fast-growing "green economy"
  • Drilling For Science And Exploration
  • New Aluminum-Rich Alloy Produces Hydrogen On-Demand For Large-Scale Uses
  • Global Biopact On Biofuels Can Bring Benefits To Both Rich And Poor Nations

  • Outside View: Nuclear fever in the Baltics
  • India must pass by July key India-US nuclear deal: US senators
  • Germany presents plans for IAEA-supervised enrichment plant
  • Progress Energy Carolinas Takes Next Step To Secure Region's Energy Future

  • Satellite Data To Deliver State-Of-The-Art Air Quality Information
  • New Model Revises Estimates Of Terrestrial Carbon Dioxide Uptake
  • A Breathable Earth
  • Researchers Find Origin Of Breathable Atmosphere Half A Billion Years Ago

  • Amazon Corridors Far Too Narrow
  • First Datasets For US Biomass And Carbon Dataset Now Available
  • Skin disease linked with deforestation
  • No amnesty for Amazon deforestation: Brazil

  • UN warns of locust swarm menacing Horn of Africa
  • LSU Researchers Challenge Analyses On Sustainability Of Gulf Fisheries
  • Winemakers mull climate change at Barcelona conference
  • China struggles to avoid past mistakes in controlling food prices

  • A Greener Way To Power Cars
  • Porsche takes on London mayor over road pricing scheme
  • Toyota unveils hybrid version of flagship Crown
  • Carbon Capture Strategy Could Lead To Emission-Free Cars

  • NASA opens a rotary wing research project
  • All-star line-up at first Singapore Airshow
  • Military Aircraft To Perform Aviation Safety Research
  • Flapping-wing airplanes are envisioned

  • Nuclear Power In Space - Part 2
  • Outside View: Nuclear future in space
  • Nuclear Power In Space

  • The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement