Union Petroleum Minister Murli Deora held discussions on the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal in Washington with two key US lawmakers, including Gary Ackerman, House International Relations Committee member and co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans.

Complete Coverage: Indo-US Nuclear Tango

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Gary Ackerman, the two bipartisan heads of the Caucus, hosted a discussion on Tuesday with the petroleum minister on how the proposed Indo-US civilian nuclear deal would impact India's demand for oil.

The discussions also focused on a proposed natural-gas pipeline project with Iran and the affect of the project on India's future demands on oil. With the Indo-US civilian nuclear-deal legislation referred to the International Relations Committee, the panel will now play an essential role in whether the bill comes to the House floor for a final vote, whether there will be amendments, which the administration has said would jeopardise the deal, and whether it is ultimately approved.

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Ackerman, who supports the deal, is understood to have told Deora that several lawmakers would support the deal once its details are presented to them in a transparent manner, according to Congressional sources.

Although details of the discussions were not available, participants included members of the House Caucus on India and Indian Americans, the sources said.

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Meanwhile India's top nuclear scientist and chief of the Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar will be in Vienna [Images] this week to discuss an India specific safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Kakodkar's discussions are understood to be a pre-cursor to an Indo-US-IAEA trilateral agreement on nuclear supplies.

Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal is in Washington on a week-long US trip. During the visit, he will launch the Indo-US Biotech Working Group and discuss the formation of an Indo-US science and technology commission.