Lantos, the ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, said during a hearing titled, 'The US-India Global Partnership: Legislative Options,' "Many of our colleagues in the Congress support the Administration's legislative proposal, while many others are not."
"But with so few days left this year in our very crowded legislative calendar, there is not time to develop the consensus necessary to move this legislation forward in the face of these polarised views. Yet there is an urgency to move forward on this issue."
Lantos argued "We need to come up with a legislative compromise that this keep the momentum for this agreement moving, and moving it forward. The Indian government needs reassurance that the Congress is supportive. It needs the confidence that we will adopt the necessary legislation in order to negotiate this agreement with the United States."
He acknowledged, "One of the most serious obstacles is that many of us in Congress are reluctant to make a final judgment on the US-India nuclear accord without seeing the details of the agreement that has been negotiated."
Lantos said this is why he has drafted legislation 'which bridges this gap,' and noted that his compromise legislation "...puts the Congress on record explicitly welcoming the agreement and its positive impact on our relations with India."
"But under my proposal, Congress would not immediately make all of the major legislative changes to the Atomic Energy Act sought by the Administration which are necessary to implement this agreement."
Spelling out the provisions of his compromise measure, Lantos explained that, "Under my legislation, we would vote on the bilateral agreement for cooperation once the negotiation has been completed and the India-IAEA safeguards agreement is finalised. This vote of Congress would occur whenever the agreement is completed -- whether it's a week from now, six months from now or in a year from now."
"To ensure that the agreement could not be bottled up in Committee or otherwise delayed, my proposal would provide for specific expedited procedures to assure an up-or-down vote in the House and in the Senate," he added.
Lantos said under the terms of his legislation, 'The Administration would also be required to consult monthly with Congress as the negotiations continue with the Indian government. This provision will ensure that there are no misunderstandings between the Executive and Legislative branches as to what Congress will be asked to accept.'
He said his proposal is very similar to the 'Fast Track' procedures that Congress has used for trade agreements. "It gives the Executive Branch assurance that Congressional amendments will not undo a complex agreement when it is considered here. And it assures that a straightforward vote will take place in both houses."
A senior aide to Lantos told rediff India Abroad that the compromise legislation has still not been vetted with the administration and hence Lantos had no idea how it would be received, and if the administration, even if it were agreeable to this new bill would be able to sell it to India.
Senior administration officials contacted by rediff India Abroad, said they had not had any time to review this legislation and had just come to hear of it and would reserve comment until it has been scrupulously studied.
Lantos said he intends to discuss his legislative proposal with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice next week.
He declared, "Politics is the art of compromise. Neither the administration nor the Indian government will get all they seek under my compromise. But this way, the administration will be able to reassure the Indian government that Congress supports the nuclear agreement, and is prepared to consider the final accord in an expeditious manner."
"Let me emphasise again that this proposal would give us the assurance that the Congress will have all of the facts and all of the details before we are asked to vote on the agreement."
Lantos reiterating that he remains 'a strong supporter of nuclear cooperation with India,' said the nuclear cooperation bilateral agreement with India -- which earlier Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, the chief US negotiator of the deal had declared was just a mere formality "...is in the midst of lengthy and complicated negotiations."
Consequently, he said that it is "...essential that Congress act quickly in a positive fashion to encourage these negotiations, or we risk slowing down the momentum behind it."
Lantos said that "with this proposed agreement, we stand at a threshold. The door could swing open toward a new era of cooperation and joint action. Or, if we fail to seize this opportunity, the door could slam shut and undo much of the good work of two American administrations -- one Democratic, one Republican -- to strengthen the bonds between India and the United States."
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