US House Gives Green Signal To The Indo-US Nuke Bill

Underlining the fact that the Indo-US relations are now perhaps at an all time high, the United States House of Representatives have voted overwhelmingly to allow US shipments of civilian nuclear fuel and technology to India.

Wednesday's vote was 359 to 68.

Earlier a US Congressional panel has backed the Indo-US nuclear plan to share civilian nuclear technology and the House of Representatives' International Relations Committee voted 37-5 for the deal.

The agreement reverses US policy, which has restricted nuclear co-operation since India, which has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), tested a nuclear weapon in 1974.

The bill will now await the vote in the US Senate. If and when the 100-member Senate takes up the bill for voting and approves it, senior members of both Houses of the US Congress will then meet in committee to reconcile differing language and provisions in the two bills.

They will then present one consolidated bill to the President for his signature -- when that is done, the US will have officially consented to amending its laws to permit civilian nuclear cooperation between the US and India.

Under the deal New Delhi will now approach the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for working out 'India-specific' safeguards while President Bush will take this plan to the American Congress for approval.

• All India civilian and nuclear plants will now be put under permanent international safeguards

• India's all future civilian - thermal and breeder reactors - too will be put under permanent international safeguards

• In return, US assures India of uninterrupted supply of nuclear fuel

• US will also help India achieve a multi-lateral regime to ensure uninterrupted supply of nuclear fuel

• India will be free to continue its nuclear programme - be it development of new reactors of military programme

• India has prepared a plan that demarcates 65 per cent of Indias nuclear facilities as 'civilian'

• At least 14 of India's 22 reactors will now come under international scanner and all these facilities will be open to inspections by the IAEA

India's major concession: All of India's nuclear facilities have been closely guarded and no external inspection has been allowed for decades. For over three decades India has been kept out of the international trade in nuclear technology and nuclear fuel.

USA's major concession: US has assured India of uninterrupted supply of nuclear fuel which also means that India will be able to source uranium from the international market. India can now get international nuclear technology for its reactors as well.