It8217;s a surrender to India: US Congressman

He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh8217;s comments in Parliament were the indication that the agreement did not comply with the law Congress wrote and passed last year, the Hyde Act, to condition and restrict any agreement.

8220;As currently drafted, this is a bad deal for our country and a damaging blow to non-proliferation efforts worldwide,8221; Markey said.

8220;Conceding to India reprocessing rights for US-origin material, agreeing to the creation of a strategic fuel reserve which would render toothless any termination of trade if India breaks the agreement, and refusing to explicitly bar Indian nuclear explosive testing are all inconsistent with the law and the intent of Congress,8221; he said.

Markey said the Hyde Act is the law of the land, not a suggested guideline that can be dismissed for political expediency.

He said Congress will have considerable time to dissect the details of the agreement since the final vote would not take place until after India has negotiated an India-IAEA safeguards agreement and secured a rule-change at the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

8220;Meanwhile, we must continue investigating the growing military and economic ties between India and Iran, which has concerned many members of Congress for some time. India will need to thoroughly disclose and detail its relationship with Iran before any agreement moves forward,8221; he said.