Will push US Congress on deal: Rice

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday said the Bush administration would push the US Congress hard to agree to a civilian nuclear deal...

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday said the Bush administration would push the US Congress hard to agree to a civilian nuclear deal with India before President George W Bush leaves office.

Speaking to reporters en route to Perth, Rice warmly welcomed the Indian Parliament’s vote and said she would work hard to convince the US Congress to agree to the deal as well.

“It is certainly our hope that we can get through all of the processes and get this done in the Congress and we are going to work very expeditiously towards that goal,” said Rice, in her first public comments since the vote.

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The agreement has fairly broad bipartisan support in Congress, but its passage could be complicated by the short legislative calendar ahead of the November US election. For the deal to go through, it has to be ratified by Congress.

“I think we can make a very good case that this is not just a landmark deal but a positive one,” Rice said. She was accompanied on the flight from Singapore by Australia’s Foreign Minister Stephen Smith. Both were at an ASEAN meeting in Singapore.

Sources in the LJP (RV) said the names of the remaining 15 candidates would also be announced very soon.

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