NEW DELHI, 11 November 2006 — Asserting that the electoral loss suffered by the Republicans would not prevent the Indo-US civil nuclear deal from being passed by the US Senate in its “lame duck” session, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said yesterday.
“My bet is that it is going to happen. The Congress — both Republicans and Democrats— are extremely supportive.” The deal remains on top of Bush administration’s priorities, Boucher said while addressing a press conference.
“The dynamics of the deal will not change. We want to do it as fast as possible. The US has made it clear that we want to implement it,” he said.
He arrived here on Thursday evening and held talks with Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon yesterday. Apart from Indo-US relations, they discussed counterterrorism and regional instability among other issues.
Dispelling the apparent concerns in India about the fate of the Indo-US nuclear deal following the electoral reverses suffered by the Republicans, Boucher said President George W. Bush was hopeful that the issue will be taken in the “lame-duck” session of Congress, that begins on Nov. 13. David C. Mulford, the American ambassador here had expressed a similar view while addressing a press conference the previous day.
While Boucher welcomed the forthcoming Indo-Pak foreign secretary-level talks, he evaded comment on the involvement of Pakistan-supported groups in the July 11 Mumbai blasts.
“We welcome the decision of both governments (India and Pakistan) to hold talks directly. The foreign secretary-level talks are a very good thing. It shows that both are interested in dealing with issues directly,” he said.
Welcoming the setting up of the Indo-Pak joint mechanism on terrorism, Boucher said that the menace had affected India, Pakistan and US.
