WASHINTON, D.C. - Sen. John Kerry, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, today supported Congress's passage of legislation ending a thirty-year ban on civilian nuclear trade with India. The India-U.S. Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Non-Proliferation Enhancement Act (H.R. 7081) passed the House on Saturday by a vote of 298 to 117.

"A strategic partnership between the United States and India will make us stronger as we create a safer, more prosperous future for our two democracies," said Sen. Kerry. "This deal will allow India to meet its rising energy demands with cleaner energy, while imposing stronger international safeguards on its nuclear program. But the focus must remain on the larger picture - India's regional influence holds the potential to help us fix a dire situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan, increasing our overall global security."

Kerry backed the Hyde Act legislation in 2006 allowing the Bush Administration to negotiate a civil nuclear deal with India in 2006 after resolving some significant non-proliferation concerns, because he saw it as a first step towards a stronger partnership between the world's oldest and largest democracies that would improve our security and secure tangible gains.

The bill now moves to the White House for the President's signature. President Bush has said he hopes to finalize this agreement before the end of his administration.

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