At the same time, a top official hoped the next administration too would also "move forward" with the deal that has remained stuck due to domestic politics in India.
"From now until January 20th, we'll continue to work to support this agreement. We'll continue to encourage the Indian government to approve it. And if in such time it is approved, we will make every effort to move it through Congress," the State Department Deputy Spokesman Tom Casey said. President George W Bush demits office on January 20 next year.
"And we certainly hope that the next administration, whoever comes to office in January, would also see this agreement as something fundamentally in America's interest and want to move forward with it as well," Casey said.
"... Fundamentally, we think the India civil nuclear agreement is something that's in the interest of both countries. The obstacle has been that the Indian government has some internal political issues it needs to resolve before it can move forward with it," Casey said.
The Deputy Spokesman was asked whether it is unlikely for the nuclear deal to move forward.
"I would say that it's less -- we have fewer days now to do it than we did yesterday, and fewer days now than we did two days before it," Casey replied.
"I guess we could all get our calendars and figure out how many more days Congress is actually in sessions between now and Jan. 20, and how likely it would be that should an agreement be reached at a certain point, you could get it on the calendar and move it to vote and have those votes take place in time, and all that other great stuff," Casey said.
