The Bush administration Thursday introduced a bill in the US Congress seeking amendment to the Atomic Energy Act to help implement the historic nuclear cooperation deal with India saying the agreement was a net gain for non-proliferation and would bring New Delhi into the non-proliferation regime.

• Indo-US nuke tango 

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns told reporters, "This is a very important agreement for the future of India-America relations and for America. It is net gain for non-proliferation and it will eventually bring India into the NPT regime," he said.

Senator Richard Lugar introduced the bill in the Senate and Henry Hyde placed it in the House of Representatives.

• Bush in India

Referring to India's track record of control on nuclear export, Burns said, "India has an excellent record."

Responding to the criticism that the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement or the exception made to India, which is not a signatory to NPT, about nuclear cooperation setting a bad precedent for countries like Iran, he said, "Not a single country has come forward and said that the deal had had an impact on the way they think about Iran."

• PM in US

Burns said the US is in touch with a number of countries of the Nuclear Supply Group and countries like France [Images], UK and Russia [Images] supported the deal as did International Atomic Energy Agency chief Mohamed ElBaradei.

He said the legislative process for approving the Indo-US nuclear deal would go on for several months.

"It is somewhat a lengthy process," he said.

Burns said the Bush administration was encouraged by the number of Senators and Congressmen who supported the agreement and held out the hope that during the course of time perhaps more would "sign on as co-sponsors" of the bill.
Burns spelt out the obligations India has to meet under the deal, including placing three-four of its reactors under IAEA supervision and separation of its civilian and military nuclear facilities.

After Congressional recess, the two chambers are expected to start hearing on the legislation possibly at the end of this month.

The administration had already delivered its draft proposal to Congressmen last week seeking a waiver for India from the requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 that currently bars nuclear technology and dual-use items trade with countries that do not accept full-scope safeguards on their nuclear facilities.

According to the draft legislation, the US president should make seven determinations to Congress regarding the Indo-US nuclear deal.

They are: 

• New Delhi has provided Washington and the IAEA with a credible separation plan including materials and programmes; and has filed a declaration regarding its civilian facilities with the IAEA.
• An agreement has come into force between New Delhi and IAEA regarding the application of safeguards with respect to India's civilian nuclear facilities.
• India and the IAEA are making progress on implementing an additional protocol that applies to India's civilian nuclear programme.
• New Delhi is backing international efforts to prevent the spread of enrichment and reprocessing technology.
• India is working with the United States for a successful conclusion of the multilateral Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.
• Necessary steps are being taken by India to secure nuclear material and technology through a comprehensive export control legislation and regulation and through a harmonisation and adherence to Missile Technology Control Regime and NSG guidelines.
• Supply to India by the US under an agreement for cooperation arrangement pursuant to section 123 of the Atomic Energy Act is consistent with American participation in NSG.

Hours before the introduction of the bill, President George W Bush [Images] said in Maryland that India "has been a -- is a non-proliferator, has proven to be a non-proliferator for the past 30 years. In other words, they've got a record, and in my judgement should cause the Congress to pass old law to treat them as a new partner."

India wanted to be a part of international agreements that would help deal with proliferation, he said, making a strong case for approval of the pact in Congress.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice [Images], meanwhile, said in Sydney that the agreement "strengthens security by expanding the reach" of the IAEA "to have access to Indian civil nuclear facilities, which it currently does not have".

"Everyone understands a growing economy like India needs energy supply and civil nuclear energy is clean, it protects the environment, it can be plentiful and currently India is not capable of pursuing civil nuclear power to the degree that it will need to," she said.