Washington, Sep 20: Congressman Edward J Markey has slammed the US State Department for its misleading Senate testimony on the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

Markey, a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee and founder of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Non-proliferation, said in a statement that President Bush’s State Department continued its three-year campaign to undermine the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty by ignoring glaring non-proliferation problems with the Indo-US nuclear deal.

The State Department has claimed that if India tests a nuclear weapon, the deal would be terminated, but just last week the US Ambassador to India said that India “will always have the sovereign right to conduct a test”.

The State Department also said that the deal maintains America’s right to “seek the return of transferred (nuclear) materials and technology”, but unlike other nuclear co-operation agreements, this agreement does not explicitly states a US right of return should India test again.

This double-speak is dangerous and misleading, and must end, the Daily Times quoted Markey, as saying.

Markey said it is clear that the Bush Administration has not seriously followed the requirements of the US law in negotiating this deal.

Now, the President’s attempt to force an immediate approval vote is compromising the ability of the Congress to scrutinise this agreement and fix its many problems.

President Bush is desperate to boost his legacy, but if the Congress fails to carefully conduct the necessary oversight, the legacy left by this agreement will be one of blatant disregard for global security, he warned. (ANI)