US Congressman says N-deal may not make it

TIME-BOUND: The nuclear deal may not be ready in time for the US Congress to pass it in the current session.

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Keywords: Gary Ackerman, US

New Delhi: For all the UPA Government's push for the Indo-Us Nuclear Deal now, US Congressmen are not convinced India is going to make it. Visiting Congressmen, Gary Ackerman, who heads a sub-committee on South Asia in the House, has set September as a deadline.

"Time is getting shorter each day. If India can get this done the it should start. Everything is sequencial. India has the first bite at the apple - India has the right to reject or accept the deal," he said.

High level sources have told CNN-IBN that the nuclear deal may not be ready in time for the US Congress to pass it in the current session.

However, the sources were confident the deal would be cleared by the new government that takes over in Washington next January, no matter what its political colour.

In the meantime, the sources say they are hopeful of an IAEA approval of the safeguards agreement and the NSG waiver allowing nuclear trade with India.

The Prime Minister's Special Envoy to the nuclear deal, Shyam Saran said, "If we are able to get safeguards finalised by the IAEA and on our behalf, our friends like the UK, US, Russia and France take up the exemption cause with the NSG, perhaps we still may be able to get through to the US Congress before the end of this administration."

Indian diplomats are hopeful that with the IAEA and NSG clearances, India could begin nuclear trade with other countries if not the US.

How the US could react to that would be interesting - American diplomatic muscle facilitating India's nuclear trade not with its own companies but its Russian and French rivals.