Nuclear deal won't fuel arms race, Rice tells US Senate

Pitching vigorously for the support of the United States Congress for a nuclear deal with India, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday said that the agreement strengthened international security and non-proliferation regimes besides advancing America's business opportunities.

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Appearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, she said the past non-proliferation policies of the US did not achieve the goals as they resulted in a more isolated India.

"This civilian energy initiative will not only advance international security but also increase energy security and increase business opportunities for America, leading to more direct and indirect jobs in this country. But all these advantages will have to be seen in the larger context of the elevation of Indo-US relationship, which is now a strategic partnership," Rice maintained while appearing before the panel chaired by Republican Senator Richard Lugar.

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She stressed that the civilian nuclear energy agreement with India was a strategic achievement that was 'good for America, good for India and good for the international community.'

"Continued isolation of our strategic partner is the wrong policy choice," she said in her presentation on the deal reached between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and President George W Bush last July in Washington and further fine-tuned in New Delhi last month.

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The top administration official came before the senate panel to strongly endorse the legislation currently in Congress seeking changes to the 1954 Atomic Energy Act that will formalize the bilateral accord.

Rejecting criticisms against the deal, the secretary of state told lawmakers that the civilian energy initiative did not re-negotiate or amend the Non Proliferation Treaty. "It is simply seeking to address an untenable situation," she said.

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The senior official also maintained that the civilian nuclear deal will not lead to an arms race in the South Asian region and does not complicate American policy with respect to North Korea or Iran. It is simply 'not credible' to compare India to North Korea or Iran, Rice said, pointing to the fact that the civilian energy initiative has the backing of the Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohammad ElBaradei and countries like Britain, France and Russia.

Rice told the panel that the visit of President Bush to India was broad and multi-faceted and that the nuclear deal with New Delhi will not only enhance energy security but also benefit the environment besides providing as many as 3,000 to 5,000 direct jobs and perhaps three time more indirectly when the cooperation is formalized.

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The Secretary of State said that the nuclear deal 'does' strength international nuclear non-proliferation regimes and that the 'path breaking' civilian nuclear energy agreement with India deserves the thorough review of the United States Senate.

In the formal opening remarks, the Chair of the Senate Panel Republican Senator Richard Lugar spoke of the closed door hearing that was held last Wednesday involving senior administration officials like the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns and that this and other discussions had only 'scratched the surface.'

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Lugar pointedly said, "The administration must continue to be responsive even while calling for a thorough bipartisan review of the nuclear deal in the context of non-proliferation goals, the environment and the strategic relationship with India."

Senator Joe Biden, a leading Democratic voice on foreign affairs in the Senate, said he probably would support the deal, which he described as 'a jump of faith.' He said he hoped that in five or ten years, India will not have 'increased their nuclear capacity in sophistication and number in a significant way that begins to unravel the prospects of peace and security in the 21st century.'

Biden said, "It comes down to a simple bet we are making - that India appreciated as much as we that the two nations have the potential to be anchors for stability."

Also See:
Complete Coverage: President Bush in India
Complete Coverage: Dr Singh's visit to the US