India baiter Dan Burton now backs US nuclear deal with rider

NEW DELHI: The Bush administration's chances of pulling off the Indo-US nuclear deal improved on Monday when anti-India Republican law-maker Dan Burton indicated he was now inclined to favour the agreement signed by PM Manmohan Singh and President George Bush.

Burton, head of the Pakistan caucus in the US House, however, added the rider that the US Congress was willing to change America's tough domestic non-proliferation laws, only if India clearly moves towards separating its civilian nuclear facilities from those dedicated to military use.

"We want to make sure there is a definite separation between civil and military usage of nuclear technology," Burton said. "And if that is guaranteed and worked out, I think the US Congress will look upon this favourably."

At present, there is no demarcation between the two. However, India must move to separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities as agreed under the terms of the nuclear technology sharing deal. India had drawn up the road map for separation.

Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran is expected to go to Washington later this month for talks on separation of the two facilities. With non-proliferation, a major US concern, cutting across the political divide, there will be no forward movement unless India lays out a "credible'' plan of separation.

This will have to convince not just the Bush administration, but much more important - members of Congress who will make the ultimate decision whether US domestic laws will be changed to accommodate New Delhi's requirement for civilian nuclear power.

The nuclear pact signed in July is a major step in improving relations between the two countries.

However, the deal has been criticised by both the US non-proliferation lobby as well as those ideologically opposed to Washington in India.

Burton, a member of the House Committee on International Relations, aware of his image as an India baiter, said while he had concerns in the past on issues of human rights and nuclear proliferation, he was now in favour of stronger ties between the two countries.

"Everyone in the us agrees that this is a good time to talk to India," he said.

Burton will meet the Prime Minister before he leaves. He said he will raise the issues of Kashmir, nuclear-proliferation and human rights violations with Manmohan Singh. Burton was speaking at a breakfast meeting organised by the CII.