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U.S. House approves India nuclear deal

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  • U.S. House approves India nuclear deal

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives gave overwhelming initial approval on Wednesday to a landmark civilian nuclear cooperation accord with India, an important but far from final step in making the agreement a reality.

    The approval vote was 359-68 after lawmakers rejected amendments that aimed to put limits on India's nuclear weapons program and were proposed by critics concerned the deal would harm nonproliferation goals.

    Lawmakers also rejected an effort to defer action until India did more to back U.S. efforts to contain Iran.

    The deal would allow nuclear-armed India to buy American nuclear reactors and fuel for the first time in more than 30 years, despite the fact it has still not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

    It also requires the rising South Asian power to open civilian nuclear facilities to international inspections, forgo future nuclear tests and cooperate with the United States and other nations on halting the spread of nuclear exports.

    "History will regard what we do today as a tidal shift in relations between India and the United States. This will be known as the day when Congress signaled definitively the end of the Cold War paradigm governing interactions between New Delhi and Washington," said Rep. Tom Lantos of California, senior Democrat on the House International Relations Committee.

    The Senate must also approve the bill but a vote is not expected until September. The House and Senate would vote again after U.S.-India negotiations on the technical details of the agreement are completed.

    India must also complete negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency on a system of inspections for its civilian nuclear facilities and the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group must change its regulations to allow nuclear transfers to India.

    POURING 'NUCLEAR FUEL'

    Democratic Rep. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, head of a bipartisan nonproliferation task force, lambasted the deal as pouring "nuclear fuel on the fire of an India-Pakistan nuclear arms race" because it would allow New Delhi to expand its nuclear weapons production to upward of 50 bombs a year from seven.

    During several hours of debate, the House, led by President George W. Bush's Republican Party, soundly rejected an amendment that would have forced India to halt fissile material production as a condition of the nuclear deal.

    The House also rejected an amendment that would forbid India from capitalizing on a new ability to buy U.S. nuclear fuel by diverting all its domestically produced uranium for weapons use. India now uses half of its domestic uranium for energy production and half for weapons, lawmakers said.

    A surprise move to defer a vote until India did more to back U.S. efforts to contain Iran failed by 235-193.

    The Bush administration had warned such amendments would kill the deal, seen as crucial to an evolving strategic alliance between India and the United States, frequent Cold War adversaries.

    But proponents said requiring India to halt production of weapons-related fissile material would help ensure U.S. technology aided India's energy production, not bomb-making.

    As a signatory to the NPT, the United States is obligated not to help India and other states advance their nuclear weapons programs.

    Lawmakers made clear U.S. nuclear technology should only be used to meet India's growing energy demands, warning America's cooperation would end if India tested another nuclear weapon, as in 1998.

    The deal has also faced criticism in India, with communist parties that shore up Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's coalition and the opposition Hindu nationalists accusing Washington of setting new terms in the legislation.

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    House backs US-India nuclear energy bill

    House backs US-India nuclear energy bill
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