PERTH, July 24: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Thursday the Bush administration would push the US Congress hard to agree to a civilian nuclear deal with India before President George Bush leaves office.

India said this week it would go ahead with its nuclear deal with the United States after the government survived a parliamentary vote of confidence. The pact would give India access to nuclear fuel and technology.

Speaking to reporters en route to Perth, Western Australia, Rice warmly welcomed the Indian parliament’s vote and said she would work hard to convince the US Congress to agree to the deal as well.

“It is certainly our hope that we can get through all of the processes and get this done in the Congress and we are going to work very expeditiously towards that goal,” said Rice, in her first public comments since the vote.

The agreement has fairly broad bipartisan support in Congress, but its passage could be complicated by the short legislative calendar ahead of the November US election. For the deal to go through, it has to be ratified by Congress.

“I think we can make a very good case that this is not just a landmark deal but a positive one,” Rice said.

She was accompanied on the flight from Singapore by Australia’s Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, who plans to show Rice his hometown Perth during an 18-hour visit.

The two ministers were both at an Association of South East Asian Nations meeting in Singapore.

The nuclear agreement also needs clearance from the governors of the UN atomic watchdog group and a 45-nation group that controls sensitive nuclear trade called the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Smith said, like other nations belonging to the NSG, Australia would examine the deal very carefully before making any decisions, adding that his country would go along with the consensus position.

“Our approach is we are looking at it in a positive and constructive way, understanding the significance that it has for India and the United States,” he said.

Australia, a major supplier of uranium, has said consistently that it would not break its long-standing policy of refusing to sell uranium to India because it has not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

“Our consideration of the US-India nuclear civil arrangement certainly won’t lead to a change of policy so far as Australia’s exports of uranium are concerned. Australia’s position has been consistent throughout,” he told reporters.

Washington says the deal would forge a strategic partnership with the world’s largest democracy, help India meet soaring energy demand and open a nuclear market worth billions of dollars to exporters worldwide.—Reuters

Opinion

Editorial

Kurram ceasefire
Updated 26 Nov, 2024

Kurram ceasefire

DESPITE efforts by the KP government to bring about a ceasefire in Kurram tribal district, the bloodletting has...
Hollow victory
26 Nov, 2024

Hollow victory

THE conclusion of COP29 in Baku has left developing nations — struggling with the mounting costs of climate...
Infrastructure schemes
26 Nov, 2024

Infrastructure schemes

THE government’s decision to finance priority PSDP schemes on a three-year rolling basis is a significant step...
Anti-women state
Updated 25 Nov, 2024

Anti-women state

GLOBALLY, women are tormented by the worst tools of exploitation: rape, sexual abuse, GBV, IPV, and more are among...
IT sector concerns
25 Nov, 2024

IT sector concerns

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s ambitious plan to increase Pakistan’s IT exports from $3.2bn to $25bn in the ...
Israel’s war crimes
25 Nov, 2024

Israel’s war crimes

WHILE some powerful states are shielding Israel from censure, the court of global opinion is quite clear: there is...