Nuke agreement US’ top priority, assures Burns

For the Indo-US nuclear agreement to be signed into a law, it is essential that it is passed by the Congress. While the House of Representatives has already passed it, the deal is being held up in the Senate.

Burns, who is scheduled to visit India next month, said the Bill was the top legislative priority for the Bush Administration. It was for now the Senate leadership to schedule it, he said.

Responding to a question if the nuclear tests by North Korea would have any impact on the nuclear deal, Burns reiterated that the nuke tests had not changed the position at all. When asked of the US reaction, if India voted for Venezuela for the non-permanent Security Council seat, and referred to media reports that this will have an adverse impact on Indo-US relationship, Burns said: “I do not see any sense of disappointment or crisis.”

He said sovereign nations had their own right to take decisions.

On the question of intelligence sharing with India on Mumbai blast and the alleged role of Pakistan on this, he said it would not be “proper” for the US to share information in the public.

In response to another question related to nuclear proliferation by Pakistan, Burns said, “We do not walk away from that, but Pakistan is doing everything it can do now.”

“But right now the focus should be on North Korea.”