Nuclear Weapons

NUCLEAR WEAPONS -- (Senate - June 23, 2006)

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Mr. CORNYN. Mr. President, I came to the floor to speak about the important issue of private property rights in this country, but I did not realize the distinguished Senator from North Dakota was going to be talking about another issue that is very important, and that is the proposed civil nuclear accord between the United States and India. It is a subject I have been studying. I am interested in it. I just happened to be one of the two Senate cochairs of the United States-India caucus and, for that reason, I have been following the developments in this proposal from the beginning.

As is so often the case, we agree on the ultimate objective, and that is to reduce proliferation of nuclear weapons, but we differ about the means. I happen to support this particular agreement because I think it is in the best interests of the United States. It will take another friend of the United States--the world's largest democracy, composed of more than 1 billion people, that has a good record for nonproliferation--and it will make us partners with them for peaceful civilian use of nuclear power while avoiding the threat of proliferation and the possibility that terrorists might acquire a nuclear weapon or it might proliferate to some other irresponsible party and then endanger the United States or our allies.

The Congress, of course, will have a chance to get very much involved in this issue. Next week, Chairman Lugar and Ranking Member Biden are taking this matter up in the Foreign Relations Committee. They are going to mark up--I believe it is the Atomic Energy Act, if I am not mistaken, which is the one which needs to be amended if, in fact, Congress does consent to this agreement between President Bush and Prime Minister Singh of India.

I do know there are a lot of people watching to see just what the reaction of Congress and the United States to this agreement will be. I for one believe it is an important step in our strategic relationship, in our growing friendship. It will be another way the United States and India can work together to make the world a safer place and the United States can demonstrate its good will by providing civilian nuclear technology to a country that needs the energy.

We know how much the geopolitics of the search for oil has distorted our foreign relationships, so it is important that we find clean alternatives to oil and gas. That is what nuclear power provides, that clean, efficient alternative--although it has problems in that it can, in the wrong hands, be abused. It can be used to create nuclear weapons.

As we all know, India already has a nuclear weapon, so it is not a question of whether it is going to acquire one. It already has one. It has demonstrated its responsibility and its willingness to work with peace-loving partners like the United States in a way that looks to this alternative of civilian nuclear energy but at the same time makes sure that the dangers of proliferation are reduced to a minimum.

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