United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday warned that 'work is not yet done' on the nuclear agreement between India and the US.
However, the Bush Administration is working on both Houses of Congress to take up the bill for consideration, and vote on it before the summer recess, she said.
'We are hard at work with both houses of Congress, especially with the India caucuses. And, we are encouraging both the Senate and House to vote on the civil nuclear initiative this month, before the summer recess,' she said while speaking at the inaugural luncheon of the newly formed partnership between the Association of American Physicians of Indian Origin and the Asian American Hotel Owners Association at Capitol Hilton.
Rice also said she was delighted in the overwhelming majorities that the enabling legislations enjoyed in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House International Affairs Committee.
Referring to opposition to the deal in India, Rice said there were some who 'wanted to keep the US at arm's length', but said the emerging strategic partnership between the two countries will emerge strong.
The main obstacle to enhanced cooperation, Rice said, was India's unique nuclear record -- the fact that it had developed nuclear weapons, yet had never signed the Nonproliferation Treaty.
'But it had never proliferated its nuclear technology. By addressing India's unique situation, creatively and responsibly, our civil-nuclear initiative will elevate our partnership to a new strategic level,' she said.
She also said the US does not support India joining the Nonproliferation Treaty as a nuclear weapon state.
'Rather, the goal of our initiative is to include India, for the first time ever, in the global nonproliferation regime,' she said.
The initiative will enhance energy security, benefit the environment and create opportunities for American jobs, she said, adding that the initiative will add to the stability and security of the world.
Rice also lauded the vision of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who she said had piloted this transformed relationship between the two nations.
Terming the new relations with India as the signature foreign policy initiative of President George W Bush, Rice said the US was now looking forward to India fulfilling the commitments made in the Joint Statement that Bush and Dr Singh signed on July 18, 2005.
