“Can” the President’s U.S.- India Deal
Peace Group Delivers Tin Cans to Congress
For immediate release -- June 22, 2006
One of the tin cans
FCNL delieved to
Congress on June 22.
More images.
The Friends Committee on National Legislation, a 63-year-old peace lobby, today delivered tin cans with labels that read “CAN the President’s U.S. - India Nuclear Deal” to key members of the House and Senate. The action today is part of a national lobbying campaign to block the deal which includes lobby visits, phone calls, and thousands of emails and letters sent to members of Congress from people around the country. This action comes a week before the House International Relations Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committees are scheduled to mark up legislation that would advance the dangerous U.S.-India nuclear agreement.
“The president is asking Congress to write an "India exception" to existing U.S. laws that ban nuclear collaboration with countries that have not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty,” explained FCNL Executive Secretary Joe Volk today. Standing in front of a stack of tin cans before they were delivered to members of Congress, Volk and Rep. Ed Markey (MA) argued that the president’s proposed agreement with India would weaken global efforts to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. “The U.S. should support efforts to block the spread of weapons of mass destruction by refusing to reward countries such as India that build nuclear bombs.”
Congress has the power to block this dangerous agreement. Before signing this agreement, the president must persuade Congress to change U.S. laws that ban nuclear collaboration with countries that refuse to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). This international agreement, endorsed by 188 nations including the U.S., bans the export of nuclear technology to countries that don’t agree to international inspections of their nuclear programs. The agreement is a cornerstone of global efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction. India has refused to sign the NPT and has already built an estimated 100 nuclear weapons. In fact, India diverted U.S. nuclear material intended for civilian energy purposes for its 1974 nuclear test. The most recent Indian nuclear weapons test was in 1998.
Brent Scowcroft, National Security Advisor to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush, former Sen. Sam Nunn, and dozens of other prominent officials have spoken out against this deal. The New York Times and other newspapers have also editorialized against the agreement. Read more statements about the proposed deal.
For more information, see FCNL's website.
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The Friends Committee on National Legislation, the oldest registered religious lobby in Washington, is a non-partisan Quaker lobby in the public interest. FCNL works with a nationwide network of tens of thousands of people from many different races, religions, and cultures to advocate for social and economic justice, peace, and good government.
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