Bush ready to sign nuclear bill into law



US President George Bush is now assured of leaving the White House with his personal stamp on America's foreign policy.

Just like Richard Nixon, the US President from 1969 to 1974, is known for forging a new relationship with China, Bush would now be remembered for bringing India on board.

He is likely to put his permanent seal on this Indo-US relationship by signing into law the Indo-US Nuclear Cooperation approval and Non-proliferation Enhancement Act. The bill was ratified by the Senate late on Wednesday night (US time) by a landslide margin of 86 votes to 13 and in the US House of Representatives a couple of days ago by two-third majority.

"I look forward to signing this bill into law and continuing to strengthen the US-India strategic partnership," Bush said a statement which was issued soon after the bill crossed its last legislative hurdle from the Senate.

Administrative sources told NDTV.com that the bill could be signed into law as early as this week itself or by next week at the most. Bush had initially hoped to sign the deal last week when the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met him at the White House on September 25.

At a time, when nothing seems to be going right for the US President be it the financial crisis or the war against terror in Iraq and Afghanistan with the passage of the bill, Bush can now have a sigh of relief that he has been successful in initiating and completing a major foreign policy landmark in the US history.

"This legislation will strengthen our global nuclear nonproliferation efforts, protect the environment, create jobs, and assist India in meeting its growing energy needs in a responsible manner," Bush said.

The agreement ends a three-decade ban on US nuclear trade with India; it opens up opportunities for American businesses to engage with India in nuclear trade worth billions of dollars.