US says time running out on Indo-US civil nuclear deal

The US says it is becoming increasingly unlikely that there will be enough time to push through the N-deal once heralded as the cornerstone of a new strategic relationship.

The United States says it is becoming increasingly unlikely that there will be enough time to push through the Indo-US civil nuclear deal once heralded as the cornerstone of a new strategic relationship.

HT Image

Communists crucial to India's government are opposing the nuclear deal and say they do not want to see New Delhi drawn closer to Washington.

State Department spokesman Tom Casey says that it is becoming increasingly difficult "to assume that we could be able to get an agreement through" the US Congress.

US officials have said that India needs to complete its end of the pact before the US Congress starts its summer break in July because many lawmakers will be busy campaigning for crucial November elections.