Under Secretary Nicholas Burns, 20 Key Members of Congress and the Indian American Community Meet to Advance Civil Nuclear Cooperation in Historic Event Organized by USIBA; Burns Says He was "Honored to Participate"

Washington, D.C. – On April 6 2006, for the first time ever, the Bush Administration, key Members of Congress, and leaders of the Indian American community from around the country gathered to promote civil nuclear cooperation. This historic event was hosted by the US India Business Alliance in cooperation with the Congressional Taskforce on US-India Trade. Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns and Sanjay Puri, CEO of USIBA and Chairman of USINPAC, were the keynote speakers.

Highlighting the importance of this unprecedented event, Under Secretary Burns said, "I was honored to participate in this event. It was a great pleasure for me to see the energy and dedication of the Indian-American community and the Congressional Taskforce on this issue. I want to thank, in particular, all Members who made the effort to participate and Mr.. Sanjay Puri for all of his efforts."

Many of the most powerful Members of Congress attended the event, including Senator George Allen (R-VA), Senator Kit Bond (R-MO), Senator Sam Brownback (R-KA), and Representatives Tom Lantos (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House International Relations Committee, Charles Rangel (D-NY), Ranking Member of Ways and Means, Chairman Jim Kolbe (R-AZ), Chairman of the Foreign Ops Committee, John Doolittle (R-CA) of the Republican Leadership, Eni Faleomavaega (D-AS), Ranking Member of the Asia Pacific Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Congressional Taskforce on US-India Trade, Chris Cannon (R-UT), Chairman of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Commercial Law and Co-Chair of the Congressional Taskforce on US-India Trade, Mike Pence (R-IN) of the Republican Study Committee, Jim McDermott (D-WA), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Dan Burton (R-IN), Jim Moran (D-VA), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Bob Etheridge (D-NC), and Adam Schiff (D-CA).

One of the most vocal supporters of the deal was Senator George Allen, a senior Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and rumored to be running for President in 2008. Sanjay Puri, CEO of USIBA, introduced Senator Allen and commended him for being the first Senator on the Foreign Relations Committee to publicly support civil nuclear cooperation.

Senator Allen reaffirmed his position and said, "As more and more Senators go through their examination of this, they will recognize the importance for the geostrategic partnership between India and the US." Senator Allen also said he is optimistic that the US Senate will support the agreement “when they see the energy needs of India, how this deal is good for the environment, and that it is good for jobs in the US."

Senator Kit Bond, a powerful Senator who serves on the Senate Intelligence Committee and visited India just two weeks ago, said he "took the time to get the information (about the agreement) from our best sources" and based on this information, he believes "this would be a very good deal for the US, for India, and for the cause of peace and security throughout the world." Most importantly, he expressed confidence that the Senate “can get this deal passed.”

Congressman Tom Lantos, the senior ranking Democrat on the House International Relations Committee, said, "The top of our agenda in the House International Relations Committee is to pass this agreement” and "not only do I support it, but I will work for it."

Sanjay Puri said, " USIBA will keep this issue at the forefront by continuing to host events with the Bush Administration and key Members of the House and Senate. USINPAC will also continue to represent the community's strong support for this agreement and lobby Congress to pass it into law.”

Other key Members of Congress also voiced their support and their comments will be included in a follow-up release to be issued by USIBA tomorrow. USIBA is an independent business alliance committed to strengthening commercial, economic, and financial ties between the U.S. and India.

USIBA is chaired in the U.S. by former House Majority Leader, Richard Armey. In India, USIBA is co-chaired by Mr. Salman Khurshid, former Minister of State for External Affairs and Mr. Arun Shourie, former Union Minister of India for Disinvestments.