U.S.-India Nuke Bill Sent to the Hill

[bluedog]

By FOSTER KLUG, Associated Press Writer Fri Mar 17,



A bill to implement the plan was introduced on Bush's behalf Thursday by the two leaders of Congress' foreign relations committees, Rep. Henry Hyde (news, bio, voting record), R-Ill., and Sen. Richard Lugar (news, bio, voting record), R-Ind. Neither indicated support for the bill.

...........would exempt India from U.S. laws that restrict trade with countries that have not submitted to full nuclear inspections. New Delhi has refused to sign the international Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and critics ...........fear Bush's plan will allow rogue countries to build nuclear weapons programs with impunity, using imported civilian nuclear technology.

Hyde and Lugar promised a thorough review, with hearings scheduled in coming weeks with top officials, including Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice.

snip


Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, said those negotiations "have not even started and will take months if not a year or more to complete."

Jon Wolfsthal, a nonproliferation analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Bush is "basically saying, 'trust us'" to Congress.

"He's trying to circumvent the review process in the hopes that he can short-circuit any attempt by Congress to provide normal oversight ... or any opposition to the agreement, which is slowly building," Wolfsthal said.

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