US lawmakers agree on India civil nuclear bill

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
US lawmakers on Thursday settled differences on landmark legislation to allow shipments of civilian nuclear fuel to India, clearing the way for passage of a measure that will overturn three decades of American anti-proliferation policy. The bill is likely to be approved in a final vote Friday before it is sent to President George W. Bush to sign into law. Senior lawmakers from both political parties championed the proposal as a major shift in US policy toward a strategically important Asian power that has long maintained what the Bush administration considers a responsible nuclear program. Critics countered that the plan could spark an Asian nuclear arms race and ruin global efforts to curb the spread of weapons technology.