It's a deal: Senate gives 86-13 thumbs up to historic accord
WASHINGTON: The India-US civil nuclear deal is finally done with the US Senate giving a resounding 86-13 approval to the historic accord visualised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President George W. Bush over three years ago.
The Senate approval to the agreement allowing resumption of nuclear commerce with India, four days after an equally emphatic 298-117 endorsement from the House of Representatives, clears the decks for Bush to sign it into law, possibly Thursday.
Bush, who had hoped to seal the accord when Manmohan Singh visited him at the White House Sep 25, had made the India deal a "very, very high priority" of his administration even in the midst of America's great financial crisis.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who led the administration's efforts to secure passage of the passage of the deal with numerous meetings with endless phone calls to lawmakers is expected to carry the deal package to New Delhi Saturday.
There, she and India's External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee may sign the bilateral 123 agreement to operationalise the deal. Mukherjee, who is now in New York, would be returning home before the Rice visit.
The resounding vote for the approval legislation as passed by the House came at 8:49 p.m. Wednesday (6:19 a.m. IST Thursday) after the upper chamber rejected by voice vote a 'killer amendment' proposed by two Democrats, Byron Dorgan and Jeff Bingaman.
Both the presidential candidates, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain voted for the deal. So did former first lady Hillary Clinton and Obama's vice presidential running mate, Joe Biden.
The Dorgan-Bingaman amendment sought to end nuclear cooperation with India in the event of New Delhi conducting a test. The House legislation has a similar provision, but the passage of the amendment would have sent it back to the lower chamber for reconciliation as the president can sign into law only an identical measure.
WASHINGTON: The India-US civil nuclear deal is finally done with the US Senate giving a resounding 86-13 approval to the historic accord visualised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President George W. Bush over three years ago.
The Senate approval to the agreement allowing resumption of nuclear commerce with India, four days after an equally emphatic 298-117 endorsement from the House of Representatives, clears the decks for Bush to sign it into law, possibly Thursday.
Bush, who had hoped to seal the accord when Manmohan Singh visited him at the White House Sep 25, had made the India deal a "very, very high priority" of his administration even in the midst of America's great financial crisis.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who led the administration's efforts to secure passage of the passage of the deal with numerous meetings with endless phone calls to lawmakers is expected to carry the deal package to New Delhi Saturday.
There, she and India's External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee may sign the bilateral 123 agreement to operationalise the deal. Mukherjee, who is now in New York, would be returning home before the Rice visit.
The resounding vote for the approval legislation as passed by the House came at 8:49 p.m. Wednesday (6:19 a.m. IST Thursday) after the upper chamber rejected by voice vote a 'killer amendment' proposed by two Democrats, Byron Dorgan and Jeff Bingaman.
Both the presidential candidates, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain voted for the deal. So did former first lady Hillary Clinton and Obama's vice presidential running mate, Joe Biden.
The Dorgan-Bingaman amendment sought to end nuclear cooperation with India in the event of New Delhi conducting a test. The House legislation has a similar provision, but the passage of the amendment would have sent it back to the lower chamber for reconciliation as the president can sign into law only an identical measure.