- WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday launched an all-out effort to persuade the U.S. Congress to approve an agreement to end a three-decade ban on nuclear trade with India this year.
Rice went to Capitol Hill to call on House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Howard Berman to discuss how to win congressional approval for the accord before U.S. President George W. Bush leaves office on Jan. 20.
A spokesman for Pelosi said she Rice discussed the process for considering the agreement once it is submitted.
"The Speaker looks forward to reviewing the submission in detail and consulting with Chairman Berman and members of the leadership in determining the appropriate course of action," spokesman Nadeam Elshami said.
With the Democrats in control of both houses of Congress, Pelosi and Berman, both from California, are key players in deciding whether U.S. lawmakers will vote on the deal this year and hand Bush a foreign policy victory in his final months.
"We think that there is a possibility of getting this passed this year and we are going to do everything we possibly can," said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. "Whether it does or not, it's not going to be for lack of effort."
McCormack said Rice hoped to send the paperwork to Congress within the next two days. But India must also take steps to satisfy U.S. legal requirements.
Rice has lobbied top Democrats and Republicans as well as key members of the House and Senate foreign affairs committees, the spokesman said
