Dealing with time

IT is understandable why US Ambassador David Mulford chose to downplay last weekend expectations about the American legislative timetable for the nuclear deal. Congressional approval is now trapped in procedure. The Senate will have to vote on the legislation and reconcile it with the version okayed by the House of Representatives. The new bill will have to be voted upon by the two houses before it is sent for the president8217;s approval. All this has to be done in two weeks of a lame duck Congress session in November.

Although Mulford has reasons to cover his political flanks, it is premature for either the Indian sceptics to celebrate the deal8217;s collapse or for the government to press the panic button. While recognising the nature of the political beast the US Congress is, India must remain focused like a laser beam on a number of tasks. It must press ahead with negotiations on the bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement with the US, mobilise support among the 45-nation Nuclear Supplier Group, and intensify the negotiations with the International Atomic Energy Agency on India-specific safeguards. Progress on these fronts ensures that little time is wasted once the congressional approval comes through.

The most important task at hand, however, lies in reaching out to the Democrats who filibustered the approval of the deal last month. The Democrats need to be reminded that the deal is a product of negotiations between two successive governments led by different parties in Washington and New Delhi. And that there will be enough political credit from the deal that Democrats and Republicans could share. The deal is not about partisan politics but transforming Indo-US relations. If they are tempted to further delay congressional approval in November, the Democrats would be liable to answering the question, 8220;who lost India8221;. Important as the November elections are for Democrats 8212; they are looking to wrest the US Congress from the Republicans 8212; they have a bigger challenge awaiting them in the general elections of 2008. Democrats supported the deal strongly in the House of Representatives. They have no reason to lose India in the Senate.