Washington: The landmark India-US nuclear agreement appeared on track for a September conclusion with President George W Bush asking Congress to approve it and top Congressional leaders backing the deal.
"The president has notified Congress as required under the Hyde Act of 2006 that India has harmonised and has adhered to in accordance with the procedures of those regimes for unilateral adherence," a State Department spokesperson said on Thursday.
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Responding to a question about India's adherence to the (Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) guidelines, the spokesperson noted that India's Minister of External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee had in a statement issued Sep 5 reinforced India's commitments made in the July 2005 joint statement of Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
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Under the July 18, 2005 joint statement, which launched the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative, India committed to harmonise its export controls with and unilaterally adhere to the NSG and MTCR guidelines.
Mukherjee's statement underscored that "India has taken the necessary steps to secure nuclear materials and technology through comprehensive export control legislation and through harmonisation and committing to adhere to MTCR and NSG guidelines".
"We also understand that India has sent letters to the International Atomic Energy Agency director general and to the MTCR point of contact in Paris stating that it has adhered to the NSG and MTCR. We welcome these steps," the State Department spokesperson said.
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Meanwhile, top US Congressional leaders have backed the India-US civil nuclear deal to brighten the prospects for the landmark agreement to be approved before Manmohan Singh visits Washington Sep 25.
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US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi joined the Senate majority leader Harry Reid on Thursday in indicating early approval of the agreement saying it "does have support in the House."
Expression of her support came shortly after the White House announced that President George Bush had invited Singh to meet him in Washington "to strengthen the Strategic Partnership and build upon our progress in other areas of cooperation".
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"The President is pleased to approve the US-India Agreement for Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation (also known as the 123 Agreement)," the White House said hours after Bush sent the implementing 123 agreement to the legislature.
"The President looks forward to working with Congress to ensure passage on the agreement this year," it said in a statement as officials led by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice kept up the push to hasten the approval process.
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"The conclusion of this agreement, which completes the US-India Civil Nuclear Cooperation Initiative, has been a priority for both President Bush and Prime Minister Singh, and strengthens the US-India Strategic Partnership," it said.
Meanwhile, Pelosi told reporters here: "I hope that that work can be done so that we can take it up". However, "We don't want it to be a precedent for saying many more countries will join" the nuclear club," she added.
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While the agreement "does have support in the House," it must "honour the principles of" legislation Congress passed in December 2006 to lay the groundwork for negotiating the terms, she said referring to the US enabling law, the Hyde Act.
Mentioning that a "waiver" may be needed to strike the required 30-day waiting period for the approval legislation, Pelosi made clear that the India agreement shouldn't set a precedent, saying stopping the spread of nuclear weapons is a "pillar" of US national security.
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"What we do in India has to be seen, I think, in the context of a managed situation that does not send a message that it's okay to proceed to a more nuclear state," Pelosi said.
Reid has already indicated that he will press for early passage of the deal. He "will try to find a way to move it forward" this year, the Senate leader' s spokesman Jim Manley said.
Joe Biden, the Democrats' vice presidential candidate and a supporter of nuclear cooperation with India, too said on Thursday the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which he chairs, could review the agreement in a hearing as soon as next week.
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The support of lawmakers in the Democratic-controlled Senate and House is crucial because only about three weeks remain before Congress is scheduled to recess September 26 for the year to campaign for November 4 elections.
However, there was still no word one way or the other from House Foreign Affairs committee chairman Howard Berman, who supports the deal, but had some reservations about the waiver given by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to India for nuclear trade.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice who has been leading the Bush administration's efforts to beat the clock has met Pelosi, Reid and Berman besides calling up a number of key lawmakers to put the approval process on fast track.
A spokesman for Pelosi, who was earlier reluctant to hold a lame-duck session after the election, said after her meeting with Rice Tuesday that she looked forward to reviewing the formal agreement in detail and to consulting on the matter with her colleagues, including Berman.
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State Department spokesman Sean McCormack has said that American companies having a "level playing field in the civilian nuclear industry in India has been very much a part of our discussion with India and with the Congress." "We believe American industry, wherever they are allowed to compete around the world, will do very well, regardless of the industry," he told reporters.
If the lawmakers don't agree to waive the rule requiring a resting period of 30 days for the legislation, the Congress could come back for a lame-duck session after the election to approve the "Hyde Amendment package" as the paperwork sent to the Capitol Hill is called.
The Bush administration pulled out all stops to push the deal after it helped win India a waiver for nuclear trade from NSG removing the last hurdle in presenting the deal to the US Congress.
India had crossed the first hurdle by reaching an agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for an additional safeguards protocol for its civilian nuclear facilities.
The , which gained waiver from the 45-member  (NSG) in Vienna on September 6, 2008, will be ratified by the US Congress to remove 34 years of sanctions against India, following a nuclear device testing in 1974. 
US  George W. Bush and India's  Manmohan Singh exchange handshakes in  on March 2, 2006.

NSG's India specific waiver allows India to join a select club of nations free to have nuclear weapons, without the international watchdog  (IAEA) breathing down its neck. The waiver comes after strong opposition from China, New Zealand and Austria amongst a few others. However consensus for the waiver prevailed after India reiterated its commitment to non-proliferation and voluntary unilateral moratorium on further nuclear tests. 

With a USD 100 billion nuclear trade possible over the next 10 years, a number of countries including ,  and  are all vying for a piece of action. Meanwhile India has agreed to the  US request to hold back discussions with others till US Congressional ratification so as not to prejudice the US firms. 

Latest reports indicate that US administration is  working overtime to ensure a smooth passage for the deal in Congress session that began on Monday and trying to persuade the lawmakers not to insist on the mandatory 30 day rest period required to present the agreement for approval. It is also confirmed that U.S. President George W. Bush will welcome Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on September 25, 2008 for joint signing of the agreement.