WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a rare, unscheduled visit on Tuesday to Capitol Hill, seat of the US Congress, to win a final legislative yes vote for the U.S-India Nuclear Agreement that got an international approval last week.
Rice called on Congressman Howard Berman, a key lawmaker and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who has said he supports the nuclear deal but needs to be convinced by the administration that the green signal given by the US administration and the international community is consistent with the Hyde Act passed by Congress.
"The burden of proof is on the Bush Administration so that Congress can be assured that what we're being asked to approve conforms with US law," Berman said Sunday, prompting Rice to make a personal visit to brief him about the Vienna waiver after a phone conversation with him on Monday.
Democrats control both chambers in Congress and it is generally thought that they would be loath to hand Bush any foreign policy success in his final weeks in office. But the administration -- and the Indian government -- is banking on the massive bipartisan support the agreement got when it was first introduced in Congress, with more than 85 per cent of law-makers supporting it.
More Democrats opposed the deal than Republicans, but the key principals in the Democratic leadership, including Senators Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, and Barack Obama, voted for the agreement.
Ahead of her Hill visit, Rice worked the phone throughout Monday, speaking with Berman's Republican opposite number Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, House Minority Leader Boehner, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman and vice-presidential candidate Joe Biden among others. She was also scheduled to speak to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Democratic Senate Leader Harry Reid. It will take the cooperation and effort of the leadership and lawmaker son both sides to pull this through, and administration officials remain optimistic that they can pull it off, while deferring to the wishes of the Congress.
"From her perspective, this is a full court press working with the Congress...We think that there is a possibility of getting this passed this year and we are going to do everything we possibly can," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "Whether it does or not, it's not going to be for lack of effort."
McCormack said Rice had instructed her staff to try and send the paperwork to Congress within the next 24 to 48 hours.
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.