Unease in US over India's nuclear deal

INDIA/US: US president Bush's nuclear deal with India has met with a mixed reaction in Congress, with conservative republicans…

INDIA/US: US president Bush's nuclear deal with India has met with a mixed reaction in Congress, with conservative republicans and liberal democrats forming an unusual alliance to oppose it.

The administration needs the approval of Congress to ratify the deal, which critics have condemned as irresponsible and inconsistent with the international community's tough line on Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Democratic congressman Ed Markey said the deal represented a "historic nuclear failure" that put America's national security at risk.

"With one simple move, the president has blown a hole in the nuclear rules that the entire world has been playing by," he said.

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Mr Bush has insisted the deal is both necessary and in America's interest and has promised to try to convince members of Congress of its benefits.

Republican Senate international relations committee chairman Henry Hyde gave the agreement a cautious welcome as strengthening the relationship between the US and India, but said his committee would study it thoroughly before recommending approval.

"It is the responsibility of this committee to thoroughly examine the specific provisions of this agreement and its potential consequences for US interests and those of the international community," he said.

Democratic congressman Gary Ackerman praised the deal as the right option to help India meet its energy needs and encourage co-operation between the two countries but criticised Mr Bush's handling of it.

"Unfortunately, while the president is right on the merits, he's short on the plan for getting it passed. The president has, thus far, done a horrendous job of convincing Congress that the agreement is a good idea.

"The benefits of the deal are obvious to me, but there are many members of Congress who do not support the agreement and are already working to defeat it," he said.

Opposition to the deal is likely to focus on the perceived double standard of the administration in allowing India to have nuclear weapons without signing the non-proliferation treaty and offering international help for its civilian programme, while insisting that Iran and North Korea receive different treatment.

Republican senator Richard Lugar has identified more than 80 questions he says need to be answered before the deal can be approved.

Republican aides have warned that legislators are worried that the agreement with India could create a precedent that undermines tough action against Iran.

Senator Joe Biden, the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said it was up to the administration to make a strong case for the deal.

"The administration must show Congress it will make us more secure by bringing India into closer compliance with international non-proliferation norms," he said.