US lawmakers caution against rushing vote on Indian nuclear deal

Three lawmakers cautioned the US Congress on Friday against rushing through with a vote on a landmark nuclear pact with India that President George W Bush wants approved before he leaves office in January.
"We strongly oppose rushing consideration of the proposal to adhere to an imaginary clock, since the process of full congressional oversight and deliberation necessarily and properly requires a significant investment of time," the trio from the House of Representatives said.
Bush submitted the nuclear agreement Wednesday to Congress for endorsement to lift a three decade-old ban on atomic commerce with India.
The nuclear deal, approved by Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July 2005, offers India access to Western technology and cheap atomic energy as long as it allows UN nuclear inspections of some of its nuclear facilities.
Democratic lawmakers Edward Markey, Ellen Tauscher and John Spratt, in a joint letter to House foreign affairs committee chairman Howard Berman, said the deal contained many lingering questions and required further examination.
US law passed in 2006 requires that Congress have at least 30 days of "continuous session" for consideration of the deal before holding a vote.
Based on the current congressional schedule, the House only has 10 legislative days left in session before adjourning on September 26, ahead of the US presidential election on November 4.
The lawmakers cautioned against any move "waiving US law through unorthodox procedure" to meet Bush's request for congressional approval of the deal this year.
The Nuclear Suppliers' Group, a regulator of sale of nuclear fuel and technology, approved the deal last week after some countries, including China and New Zealand, expressed reservation about opening up nuclear commerce with India, which is not a member of the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The White House said Thursday that Bush would welcome Singh on September 25 for talks on bilateral relations, including the nuclear deal.