By Arun Kumar

Washington, June 29 (IANS) The India-US nuclear deal Thursday moved a step closer to Congressional approval with another ringing endorsement from a key panel of the US Senate, close on the heels of its approval by a committee of the lower house by an overwhelming majority.

Reflecting a broader bipartisan consensus, the 18-member Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved by a 16-2 majority an enabling draft bill on the lines of the House panel's "historic" legislation that set out a two-vote process for the deal's final Congressional approval.

Like their counterparts on the International Relations Committee of the House of Representatives, the Senate panel's Republican chairman Richard Lugar and leading Democrat Joseph Biden chose to bring forward an altogether new bill instead of the one they had introduced last March at Bush administration's bidding.

Approval of the enabling legislation by the Senate panel made up of 10 Republicans and eight Democrats would pave the way for its introduction before the two houses of US Congress some time in mid-July when it reconvenes after a 10-day recess.

Both Washington and New Delhi are keen to complete the two-step approval process by August. In the first instance, the proposed legislation would "exempt from certain requirements of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 US exports to India of nuclear materials, equipment and technology" after the president makes a set of determinations.

This waiver in turn would allow the Bush administration to negotiate the so-called 123 Agreement - the specific bilateral contract on civilian nuclear cooperation - named so after the relevant section of the US law. It would then go before Congress again for final approval.

The required presidential determinations include India's separation plan for civilian and military nuclear facilities, conclusion of a safeguards agreement and an additional protocol with the IAEA, working with the US on the fissile material cut off treaty and a moratorium on nuclear tests.

These, diplomatic sources point out, are well within the ambit of the July 18, 2005 and March 2, 2006 joint statements of President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.