US firms to lobby for Indo-US N-deal?

19 July 2007

Large American corporations like GE and Boeing, as well as a prominent trade body are willing to launch a lobbying campaign to persuade the Congress to bless the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, as soon as the two countries reach a compromise on the terms, US media reports indicate.

"This deal will be huge for US companies," Ron Somers, the head of the US-India Business Council in the US Chamber of Commerce said, according to the Wall Street Journal. But the deal could face stiff opposition from a number of lawmakers, including Democratic and Republican leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who have raised an alarm over India's military and economic ties with Iran.

After months of trying to resolve deep differences, the two countries are set to make a final push next week to finalise a pact, opening the door for deeper political, military and commercial ties between the US and India. At the heart of the deal is a proposal to provide New Delhi with nuclear fuel and technology, which critics say could undermine international efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons.