05-25-2006, 05:29 AM
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Why American Jewry is backing the Indo-US nuclear deal
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: <b>The American Jewish Committee, which has thrown its weight behind India as the Indo-American nuclear deal makes its way through Congress, believes that if successful, it would diminish the prospects of the advancement of the Iranian nuclear programme.</b>
In an interview published here this week by India Abroad, Jason Issacson, the Jewish rights groupâs director of governmental and international affairs said, âFrankly, the cooperation between India and the United States in doing what it can to diminish the prospects of advanced Iranian nuclear programme ... from moving forward ... joining an international effort to contain Iranâs nuclear ambitions.â He added that cooperation on that count had been notable in the last year. âI would say that itâs just one more aspect of (the) relationship that is in the best interest of both the US and India,â he added.
Issacson, asked how confident he was of the successful passage of the enabling legislation introduced by the Bush administration in Congress to get the nuclear deal through, said, âIt is not a done deal. It is not a sure thing, but with the administration strongly supportive and with the very active efforts of the Indian embassy and the support of those of us who believe in this agreement, I believe there is a good chance. There will be a lot of work to do in the coming weeks and months. The case is a good one, the arguments are clear and the people are coming on board to know more about this relationship, to know more about India. I am confident that in time that argument will prevail.â
When told that some leading Jewish lawmakers like Congressmen Tom Lantos, Gary Ackerman and Brad Sherman had misgivings about the nuclear agreement, he replied that those congressional leaders were speaking in their individual capacity and not representing the views of the US Jewish community. Such voices should not be taken as being critical of the US-India relationship or their strategic cooperation, he cautioned.
Issacson said the American Jewish Committee had sent letters to members of Congress to support the deal, and it was going to follow that up with personal contacts. All 32 offices of the Jewish group across America would âdo what they can do to make our voices heardâ. He said the Committee also continues to be in touch with the Indian embassy and the Indian-American community. He repeated that âit is not a sure thing,â but he was still hopeful that in the end those backing the deal would carry the day. He said the Committee had discussed the deal and the issues surrounding the deal over a period of many months with Indian and American officials, officials in the administration and those on Capitol Hill. There had been extensive discussions with the Indian embassy and through the Committeeâs Mumbai office, with the Indian ministry of external affairs.
Why American Jewry is backing the Indo-US nuclear deal
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: <b>The American Jewish Committee, which has thrown its weight behind India as the Indo-American nuclear deal makes its way through Congress, believes that if successful, it would diminish the prospects of the advancement of the Iranian nuclear programme.</b>
In an interview published here this week by India Abroad, Jason Issacson, the Jewish rights groupâs director of governmental and international affairs said, âFrankly, the cooperation between India and the United States in doing what it can to diminish the prospects of advanced Iranian nuclear programme ... from moving forward ... joining an international effort to contain Iranâs nuclear ambitions.â He added that cooperation on that count had been notable in the last year. âI would say that itâs just one more aspect of (the) relationship that is in the best interest of both the US and India,â he added.
Issacson, asked how confident he was of the successful passage of the enabling legislation introduced by the Bush administration in Congress to get the nuclear deal through, said, âIt is not a done deal. It is not a sure thing, but with the administration strongly supportive and with the very active efforts of the Indian embassy and the support of those of us who believe in this agreement, I believe there is a good chance. There will be a lot of work to do in the coming weeks and months. The case is a good one, the arguments are clear and the people are coming on board to know more about this relationship, to know more about India. I am confident that in time that argument will prevail.â
When told that some leading Jewish lawmakers like Congressmen Tom Lantos, Gary Ackerman and Brad Sherman had misgivings about the nuclear agreement, he replied that those congressional leaders were speaking in their individual capacity and not representing the views of the US Jewish community. Such voices should not be taken as being critical of the US-India relationship or their strategic cooperation, he cautioned.
Issacson said the American Jewish Committee had sent letters to members of Congress to support the deal, and it was going to follow that up with personal contacts. All 32 offices of the Jewish group across America would âdo what they can do to make our voices heardâ. He said the Committee also continues to be in touch with the Indian embassy and the Indian-American community. He repeated that âit is not a sure thing,â but he was still hopeful that in the end those backing the deal would carry the day. He said the Committee had discussed the deal and the issues surrounding the deal over a period of many months with Indian and American officials, officials in the administration and those on Capitol Hill. There had been extensive discussions with the Indian embassy and through the Committeeâs Mumbai office, with the Indian ministry of external affairs.