WASHINGTON, Oct 27: US lawmakers have chastised the Bush administration for providing little information about a proposal to share civilian nuclear technology with India, while experts warned that the deal was against America’s national interests. At a hearing at the House International Relations Committee on Wednesday afternoon, one Republican Congressman, complained that Indian authorities know more about the deal than the US Congress. “As it stands, the situation is both strange and unusual in that the Indian authorities know more about this important proposal than we in the Congress,” said Rep. Henry Hyde, the committee’s Republican chairman.
Nuclear experts who appeared before the committee warned that the deal was fraught with danger and was against US interests.
“The agreement could pose serious risks to the security of the United States,” said David Albright, president of the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security.
And a Democrat congressman, Rep Tom Lantos, urged the Bush administration not to rush to a decision on the US-India deal, signed on July 18 when Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited the White House. “Approval and implementation...may take considerable time in both hemispheres,” he said.
Key lawmakers have also sent a letter asking Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to begin consultations with Congress as soon as possible.
Their comments reflected frustration that the administration is taking congressional support for granted; lawmakers must amend US law before the deal is completed.
Congressman Hyde said he was troubled by statements from Bush officials, referring in part to Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, who told Indian officials last week that he was convinced the pact would be approved in Congress. “I do not know how these statements could be made with Congress having yet to be fully consulted,” Mr Hyde said.
In the letter to Ms Rice, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate foreign relations committees cited Mr Burns’ earlier testimony that Congress wasn’t told of the negotiations leading up to the July 18 announcement of the Indian proposal because of the fast pace of discussions.
“In order to avoid a similar situation from occurring, we ask that you begin substantive discussions with our respective committees as soon as possible,” said the letter, which was signed by Hyde, Rep. Tom Lantos, and Senators Richard Lugar and Joseph Biden.
