

US approves Indian nuclear deal

The deal would give India access to US civilian nuclear technology







'Bipartisan support'

The US House of Representatives passed the agreement on Saturday, and the Senate's vote now means President Bush can sign it into law.

India has 14 reactors in commercial operation and nine under construction
Nuclear power supplies about 3% of India's electricity
By 2050, nuclear power is expected to provide 25% of the country's electricity
India has limited coal and uranium reserves
Its huge thorium reserves - about 25% of the world's total - are expected to fuel its nuclear power programme long-term
Source: Uranium Information Center

Before the Senate vote, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the agreement had "strong bipartisan support" and called it a "landmark" deal.

Although India has said it retains the right to conduct nuclear tests, the US has said the deal would be cancelled in such an eventuality.

The House of Representatives passed the agreement by 298-117 votes late on Saturday.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said the deal will help India to liberate itself from "the constraints of technology denial of 34 years".

It was first agreed three years ago and is regarded as a key foreign policy priority for both the Indian and US governments.

Earlier this month, the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) lifted a ban that had denied India access to the international nuclear market.

On Tuesday, India and France signed a major co-operation pact which paves the way for the sale of French nuclear reactors to Delhi.

France is the world's second largest producer of nuclear energy after the United States. Russia has also been lobbying the Indian government hard on behalf of its firms.

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