SUSPENSE PERSISTS ON SENATE'S NOD FOR N-DEAL:
The US Senate, which is still to give a nod to the Indo-US nuclear deal, reconvened this morning but suspense prevailed over whether the landmark accord would come up for vote on Monday, with Senators pre-occupied with the USD 700 billion economic package. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made no mention of the approval legislation for the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal in his opening remarks and confined his words to the Rail Safety and Amtrak legislation the Senate is expected to vote prior to the Democrats adjourning for their Caucus for an hour. Reid had last week said that the 123 agreement with India is high on the agenda for the Senate but acknowledged that several lawmakers have differences over some clauses contained in the accord, which they say will undermine nuclear non-proliferation standards. The Senate, which will reconvene after this meeting will perhaps get into a discussion of the emergency financial package, which is likely to have been voted on by the House of Representatives by then. The Chamber is expected to break off on Monday for the Jewish holiday and will return to session only on Wednesday. Sources say as many as five Senators have placed a "hold" on the approval legislation for the civilian nuclear agreement, which must be lifted before the agreement is brought to the Senate floor or approved by a Unanimous Consent Agreement. The House of Representatives cleared the Bill on the US-India deal last Saturday by a 298 to 117 margin. While it is difficult to predict the course of developments in the Congress, Senate sources now say that the legislation could "possibly" come up on Wednesday.
