06-26-2006, 09:53 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Substantial changes likely in Indo-US N-deal </b>
Washington, June 25: As the House International Committee takes up for fine-tuning on Tuesday a bill on Indo-US nuclear pact, substantive and procedural changes are expected to be part of the `mark up` whose final language may contain a provision seeking termination of the deal if India conducts another nuclear test.
The 18-member Senate Foreign Relations Committee has also said it will be taking up a bill on Wednesday to exempt from certain requirements of the 1954 Atomic Energy Act US exports to India of nuclear material, equipment and technology.
The committee has other business also scheduled for the day such as giving approval to many diplomatic appointments including that of a US Ambassador to Sri Lanka but the nuclear deal will be the issue meriting most of the attention.
In both the House and the Senate the initiative is going to be on a bi-partisan basis with the House seeing a legislation called the <b>Hyde-Lantos Bill </b>and the Senate version of this going by the <b>Lugar-Biden Bill. </b>
The Bush administration has said that it is backing the bi-partisan efforts on Capitol Hill even as it has made it known that it will be opposed to any fundamental changes in the agreement already negotiated with India.
Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns recently said that the administration will oppose "deal breakers".
Billed as one of the most important issues that Congress would have considered for the year, supporters of the deal in the 50-member house International Relations Committee with 27 Republicans and 23 Democrats have made the point this is not a partisan issue that is either going to divide the committee or colour the vote in the full House.
It is also stressed that congress is going to insist on changes both from a procedural point of view and substantively as well-- adding language and provisions that were not part of the original administration bill that was introduced in March.
For instance lawmakers have now come around the idea of a two-step process first put forth by the ranking Democrat from California, Tom Lantos.
First Congress will show resolve and approval for the overall agreement; and next vote on formalising the deal but only after seeing the bilateral nuclear or the 123 agreement and India`s agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency over safeguards.
The language of the final mark up in the House Committee is expected to be fine tuned till the very last minute and is also expected to contain a provision that will call for a termination of civilian nuclear cooperation in the event of nuclear testing again by India.
Apparently some members are insistent that specific language addressing this issue must find its way into the final legislation.
An unofficial draft of the mark up legislation in the House committee doing the rounds speaks of a stipulation that will call for the "full participation" of India in American efforts to "dissuade and isolate and, if necessary, sanction and contain Iran`s efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon capability" or in the capacity to produce weapons of mass destruction and the ability to deliver them.
Once the mark ups clear the House and the Senate committees, it would have to be scheduled for a floor vote. Assuming the legislation passes the two bills will have to be reconciled for language and voted on again.
"The initial proposal, which was submitted to Congress by the administration was a non-starter because it put all of the Congressional concurrence up front and expected us to take at face value what may or may not be negotiated between India and the US," Lantos said at a recent Capitol Hill event.
He said the bi-partisan legislation due for a mark up enjoyed the support of the administration and "if all the players both in the United States and in India Act responsibly" legislation could be had by the third or the fourth week of July.
But what is of concern to some in Congress and outside is on some of the substantive markers that lawmakers like Lantos could insist upon and ones that may or may not have direct bearing to the specific legislation on hand.
For example Lantos, a strident critic of Iran, has lashed out at India on several occasions over its Iran policy, the latest of which pertaining to New Delhi tagging along to the non aligned statement issued at a foreign ministers` meeting in Kuala Lumpur pertaining to Iran.
In all the attention on the civilian nuclear deal there is also a realisation that the timeframe is of a pressing nature given that Congressional calendar is too short for this year and especially so in an election year.
Soon after marking up the legislations in the House and the Senate committees the Congress will be breaking away for the independence day work period for about ten days; will reconvene in the first week of July and again go away for the summer work period by the end of the month.
Congress will reconvene only after Labour Day in the first week of September with the target adjournment set for October 6. This year Congressional elections are scheduled to be held on November 7.Â
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Washington, June 25: As the House International Committee takes up for fine-tuning on Tuesday a bill on Indo-US nuclear pact, substantive and procedural changes are expected to be part of the `mark up` whose final language may contain a provision seeking termination of the deal if India conducts another nuclear test.
The 18-member Senate Foreign Relations Committee has also said it will be taking up a bill on Wednesday to exempt from certain requirements of the 1954 Atomic Energy Act US exports to India of nuclear material, equipment and technology.
The committee has other business also scheduled for the day such as giving approval to many diplomatic appointments including that of a US Ambassador to Sri Lanka but the nuclear deal will be the issue meriting most of the attention.
In both the House and the Senate the initiative is going to be on a bi-partisan basis with the House seeing a legislation called the <b>Hyde-Lantos Bill </b>and the Senate version of this going by the <b>Lugar-Biden Bill. </b>
The Bush administration has said that it is backing the bi-partisan efforts on Capitol Hill even as it has made it known that it will be opposed to any fundamental changes in the agreement already negotiated with India.
Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns recently said that the administration will oppose "deal breakers".
Billed as one of the most important issues that Congress would have considered for the year, supporters of the deal in the 50-member house International Relations Committee with 27 Republicans and 23 Democrats have made the point this is not a partisan issue that is either going to divide the committee or colour the vote in the full House.
It is also stressed that congress is going to insist on changes both from a procedural point of view and substantively as well-- adding language and provisions that were not part of the original administration bill that was introduced in March.
For instance lawmakers have now come around the idea of a two-step process first put forth by the ranking Democrat from California, Tom Lantos.
First Congress will show resolve and approval for the overall agreement; and next vote on formalising the deal but only after seeing the bilateral nuclear or the 123 agreement and India`s agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency over safeguards.
The language of the final mark up in the House Committee is expected to be fine tuned till the very last minute and is also expected to contain a provision that will call for a termination of civilian nuclear cooperation in the event of nuclear testing again by India.
Apparently some members are insistent that specific language addressing this issue must find its way into the final legislation.
An unofficial draft of the mark up legislation in the House committee doing the rounds speaks of a stipulation that will call for the "full participation" of India in American efforts to "dissuade and isolate and, if necessary, sanction and contain Iran`s efforts to acquire a nuclear weapon capability" or in the capacity to produce weapons of mass destruction and the ability to deliver them.
Once the mark ups clear the House and the Senate committees, it would have to be scheduled for a floor vote. Assuming the legislation passes the two bills will have to be reconciled for language and voted on again.
"The initial proposal, which was submitted to Congress by the administration was a non-starter because it put all of the Congressional concurrence up front and expected us to take at face value what may or may not be negotiated between India and the US," Lantos said at a recent Capitol Hill event.
He said the bi-partisan legislation due for a mark up enjoyed the support of the administration and "if all the players both in the United States and in India Act responsibly" legislation could be had by the third or the fourth week of July.
But what is of concern to some in Congress and outside is on some of the substantive markers that lawmakers like Lantos could insist upon and ones that may or may not have direct bearing to the specific legislation on hand.
For example Lantos, a strident critic of Iran, has lashed out at India on several occasions over its Iran policy, the latest of which pertaining to New Delhi tagging along to the non aligned statement issued at a foreign ministers` meeting in Kuala Lumpur pertaining to Iran.
In all the attention on the civilian nuclear deal there is also a realisation that the timeframe is of a pressing nature given that Congressional calendar is too short for this year and especially so in an election year.
Soon after marking up the legislations in the House and the Senate committees the Congress will be breaking away for the independence day work period for about ten days; will reconvene in the first week of July and again go away for the summer work period by the end of the month.
Congress will reconvene only after Labour Day in the first week of September with the target adjournment set for October 6. This year Congressional elections are scheduled to be held on November 7.Â
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