New Delhi: With the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) granting waiver to India, the 123 agreement is expected to be presented before the American Congress in the next few days for its approval.
The approval is required as the final step to conclude the Indo-US nuclear deal.
Ambassador David Mulford said on Tuesday that the 123 agreement could be signed during the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to the US.
Prime Minister Singh is slated to visit the US later this month and chances are he seals the deal if the pact is passed by the Congress by then.
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He told reporters here that the ‘bipartisan’ support that was there in the US Congress during the passage of 123 agreement last year still exists.
Mulford also added that the Bush government hoped for an early approval of the pact by the American legislature by an 'up-and-down' vote.
If the agreement is not passed by the US Congress during its current session which ends on September 26, there is possibility of a 'lame-duck' session after the Presidential polls in November, he said.
"We are now in the final phase. The 123 agreement is to be presented before the US Congress. That process is ongoing. We hope to do it in the next few days and then hope for action (by the Congress)," Mulford said.
He said senior officials of the US Administration are engaged in a dialogue with the key leaders of the Congress with regard to the introduction of the agreement.
On the requirement of 30-day notice for introduction of any document in the US Congress for approval, he said there has been a precedent of waiving this requirement.
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