A senior US senator called on Thursday for a fast track endorsement this month of a landmark nuclear agreement with India as lawmakers launched a series of meetings to consider the controversial deal.
"We would be well advised to approve it this month ... rather than waiting until next year," said Democrat Chris Dodd, who chaired a meeting on Thursday of the powerful Senate foreign relations committee on the nuclear initiative.
Although the agreement "is not perfect," Dodd said the "imperfections" could be addressed by lawmakers, vowing that they were "going to utilize every minute of every day available" to endorse the deal.
It is the clearest indication yet that efforts were underway in Congress to rush through with a vote on the deal, probably before it adjourns on September 26 ahead of the November 4 presidential elections.
"Approval of this agreement will still be a milestone in US-India relations and, approve it, my view, we must," Dodd said.
He acknowledged that several lawmakers had certain "concerns" in the agreement which needed to be addressed by President George W. Bush's administration to avoid a "perfect storm" that could wreck the deal.
Signed by President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July 2005, the agreement offers India access to Western technology and cheap atomic energy as long as it allows UN nuclear inspections of some of its nuclear facilities.
If Congress endorses the agreement it would lift a three decades-old ban on nuclear trade with India, a non member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The White House transmitted the text of the nuclear agreement and other relevant documents to lawmakers last week when they returned to work after an extended August recess.
US law passed in 2006 requires that Congress have at least 30 days of "continuous session" for consideration of the deal before holding a vote.
Based on the current congressional schedule, the House only has about a week of legislative days left in session before adjourning on September 26.
US Under Secretary of State William Burns asked lawmakers Thursday to waive the law to consider the deal, saying it was critical to US national security and the future of US-India ties as well as to non proliferation worldwide.
"We fully appreciate the extraordinary nature of the time frame within which we are asking the Congress to consider this initiative," he said.
Republican Senator Richard Lugar said that under existing law, lawmakers would normally be in a 30-day period of consultation on the agreement, after which they would have 60 days to consider a resolution approving the deal.
"Given the need to waive most of the 30-day consultation period, a simple, privileged resolution is unavailable to us. Amendments will be in order, and there is no guarantee of a vote on final passage," he said.
"We would be well advised to approve it this month ... rather than waiting until next year," said Democrat Chris Dodd, who chaired a meeting on Thursday of the powerful Senate foreign relations committee on the nuclear initiative.
Although the agreement "is not perfect," Dodd said the "imperfections" could be addressed by lawmakers, vowing that they were "going to utilize every minute of every day available" to endorse the deal.
It is the clearest indication yet that efforts were underway in Congress to rush through with a vote on the deal, probably before it adjourns on September 26 ahead of the November 4 presidential elections.
"Approval of this agreement will still be a milestone in US-India relations and, approve it, my view, we must," Dodd said.
He acknowledged that several lawmakers had certain "concerns" in the agreement which needed to be addressed by President George W. Bush's administration to avoid a "perfect storm" that could wreck the deal.
Signed by President George W. Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July 2005, the agreement offers India access to Western technology and cheap atomic energy as long as it allows UN nuclear inspections of some of its nuclear facilities.
If Congress endorses the agreement it would lift a three decades-old ban on nuclear trade with India, a non member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
The White House transmitted the text of the nuclear agreement and other relevant documents to lawmakers last week when they returned to work after an extended August recess.
US law passed in 2006 requires that Congress have at least 30 days of "continuous session" for consideration of the deal before holding a vote.
Based on the current congressional schedule, the House only has about a week of legislative days left in session before adjourning on September 26.
US Under Secretary of State William Burns asked lawmakers Thursday to waive the law to consider the deal, saying it was critical to US national security and the future of US-India ties as well as to non proliferation worldwide.
"We fully appreciate the extraordinary nature of the time frame within which we are asking the Congress to consider this initiative," he said.
Republican Senator Richard Lugar said that under existing law, lawmakers would normally be in a 30-day period of consultation on the agreement, after which they would have 60 days to consider a resolution approving the deal.
"Given the need to waive most of the 30-day consultation period, a simple, privileged resolution is unavailable to us. Amendments will be in order, and there is no guarantee of a vote on final passage," he said.
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