'Indo-US nuclear deal would breach NPT'

Washington: As the US Congress prepares to fine tune the enabling law to implement the Indo-US nuclear deal, a senior Democrat member of the House International Relations Committee has said it would "increase" India's potential to drive up its nuclear arsenal.

In a letter to members of the Congress, a group of non-proliferation experts have also said that the accord would "breach" the central provision of the NPT.

Participating through teleconference in a symposium organised by the Arms Control Association, senior Democrat Howard Berman from California said the accord did little to curb India's fissile material production and the Bill, introduced in the Congress, only increases the potential for India driving up its nuclear arsenal.

The process of fine-tuning the legislation in the US Congress to implement the civilian nuclear deal will be taken up on June 27.

"I challenge the assertion" of the Bush administration that the agreement with India "constituted a strategic net plus for non-proliferation," Berman said.

Berman, however, made it clear that he is not opposed to "appropriate" nuclear energy cooperation with India but said he has "serious concerns" on how the present Indo-US agreement has been structured.

The Congressman listed five priorities that he will persist at the mark-up, the process of fine-tuning of the enabling legislation.