Cohen to lobby for Senate passage in 'lame duck' session

Former US Secretary of Defence William S Cohen intends writing to former colleagues in the US Senate to push for the passage of the Indo-US nuclear deal, reports Nilova Roy Chaudhury.

Despite uncertainty over the fate of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal in the US Senate, Former US Secretary of Defence William S Cohen intends writing to former colleagues in the US Senate to push for its passage in the 'lame duck' session of Congress later this month.

The deal needed to succeed, Cohen said, as it was important for India to realise that the US was a reliable partner.

"The deal must succeed. Both India and the US must go ahead with the deal (that will pave the way for civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries)," he said, at an address on "Threats to Democracy: Challenges facing India and the US", organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry and Aspen Institute.

Cohen, a Republican who served in the Democrat administration of President Bill Clinton as his Secretary of Defence, said there would be huge economic benefits from the agreement and many big companies were eagerly waiting to come to India once the deal goes through.

While the agreement was central to Indo-US relations, with both President George Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh having staked a considerable part of their reputations on this deal, he said, "The deal is critical for stability in Asia... It will act as a stabilising factor in Asia".

The outcome of the Congressional elections would not affect the deal's prospects, he said, as it enjoyed bipartisan support. Failure of the deal to go through, he said, would cause problems, with "accusations and counter accusations."

Cohen denied the contention that the deal was aimed at containing China. Saying it would be "foolhardy to think so", Cohen said his government's policy was "not to contain but to engage" with China.

With wide-ranging geo-political and strategic changes taking place across the world, it was important for both New Delhi and Washington to join hands to strengthen democracy and stability, and jointly face the threats from pandemics and terrorism.

Cohen, who met the Prime Minister and Minister of State for Industry Ashwini Kumar on Wednesday, discussed ways in which the two great democracies of the world could further expand their close strategic and economic ties.
Email nilova@hindustantimes.com

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