US Senate Passes Indo-US Nuclear Deal

Ending the uncertainty hanging over the India-US civil nuclear agreement especially after the results of the US mid term elections, the US Senate finally passed the legislation on the nuclear agreement, opening the door to Indo-US nuclear cooperation.

The US Senate passed the United States-India Civilian Nuclear Agreement overwhelmingly by a solid bipartisan margin of 85 votes to 12 after the Republican-controlled Senate defeated a handful of amendments India said would kill the deal.

Several more critical approvals including the International Atomic Energy Agency and the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group are needed before the agreement can take effect. India has however expressed guarded optimism at the passage of the deal in the US congress.

Senate approval, however, is not the final step in the process. Both houses are scheduled to meet in December to reconcile several amendments they have made and that need to be approved again by the two chambers before Bush signs it into law.