Nuclear pact between U.S., India draws fire ("Weapon plan on steroids")

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

By Ron Hutcheson and Jonathan S. Landay
Knight Ridder Newspapers

NEW DELHI - A landmark nuclear pact reached Thursday by President Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh faced tough scrutiny by Congress and international regulators amid concerns that it would allow India to expand its nuclear arsenal by hundreds of weapons. If approved by Congress, the accord would recognize India as a nuclear military power and herald a major expansion in ties between the world's largest democracy and the United States after decades of strained relations. "What this agreement says is things change. Times change," Bush said, appearing with Singh at Hyderabad House, the Indian government's guest residence. "We have made history today, and I thank you," Singh said.

Some U.S. lawmakers and many arms-control experts said the pact would undercut the global system designed to halt the spread of nuclear arms, making it harder to rein in suspected Iranian and North Korean nuclear weapons programs.

Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., a co-sponsor of bipartisan legislation that would block the deal, said it made a mockery of the cornerstone of the system, the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which India never signed.

"With one simple move the president has blown a hole in the nuclear rules that the entire world has been playing by," Markey said. "It empowers the hawks in every rogue nation to put their nuclear weapons plans on steroids."

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/news/world/14002612.htm

[FloridaPat]

1. What did our buddy Pakistan say about this? Anyone know?