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The signing of the N-deal bill will herald a new era in Indo-US relations.
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Indian Americans hail Senate nod for N-deal
Lalit K Jha
Thursday, October 02, 2008, (New York)
The US corporate sector, which is keen in expanding its business with India, and the large Indian American community which wants to take the relationship between the two countries to a new level, on Thursday hailed the Congressional ratification of Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement.
There was jubilation both among the powerful US corporate sector and the Indian American community soon after the Senate passed the historic nuclear agreement with 86 votes to 13. With the House of Representatives passing the bill last week, this was the last legislative hurdle in the bill becoming a law.
"This is a historical day, a mile stone event in the ties of friendship between US and India. This is also a day of victory for the people of both the nations and a new era of renewed friendship," said Shampat Shivangi, an eminent Indian American.
Shivangi, who was among those India American leaders who had expressed frustration when things were not going right for the deal in India a couple of months ago due to opposition form the Left parties, said: "Now we can take sigh of relief that dream turned into reality. We are all happy that it happened under President Bush. It was his leadership, foresight and vision that led to this treaty."
The Indian National Overseas Congress has planned grand victory celebrations soon. "It is victory for the people of both nations who are embarking on forging even a stronger relationship in the years ahead' said George Abraham, its general secretary of INOC.
"The agreement will pave the way for India to acquire latest in nuclear technology and fuel thereby assuring an energy future that is critical to India's fast growing economy. It will usher in a new era of cooperation and development," Abraham said.
The US India Business Council, which represents some of the top 500 Fortune Companies of the US termed it as a "historic watershed" in US-India relationship.
Today's Congressional endorsement of the civil nuclear accord concludes a remarkable timeline of international diplomacy that began on July 18, 2005 when the US President and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced the civil nuclear cooperation initiative, USIBC said.
"What followed was an epic bilateral and international diplomatic effort to untie the knots of a 34 year history during which India had been denied civil nuclear cooperation," said USIBC, which had launched a major lobbying campaign at the Capitol Hill in favour of the nuclear deal.
On the operational level, today's US Congressional ratification of the 123 Agreement sets the parameters for US Industry participation in India's civil nuclear build-out, but on a symbolic level represents a historic breakthrough, shoring up a durable foundation upon which US-India relations will flourish and America's partnership will deepen with the world's largest free-market democracy, it said.
"The benefits will be many and the impact profound, beckoning a new era in US-India relations," said Ron Somers, USIBC president. "Passage of today's legislation clears the way for US companies to participate in India's civil nuclear opportunity," he added.
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