March 6 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush returned to Washington from South Asia facing the task of selling the trip's centerpiece -- a nuclear accord with India -- to a Congress increasingly willing to challenge him on foreign policy.

The five-day journey to Afghanistan, India and Pakistan encompassed three of the president's top priorities: the war on terrorism, spreading democracy abroad and expanding U.S. economic opportunities.

The nuclear agreement, which gives India access to U.S. technology and fuel to build up a civilian atomic power industry, touches on all three areas by drawing the U.S. closer to a country that is the world's most populous democracy, a key ally against terrorism and a growing market and competitor for U.S. companies.

Bush's fellow Republicans are signaling they aren't willing to take the president's word alone on the accord amid polls showing his public approval rating at or near all-time lows.

``The president is trying to ride the nuclear tiger here,'' Republican Representative Duncan Hunter, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said on ABC's ``This Week'' program. ``This thing has to be looked at very, very carefully. I'm skeptical.''

The agreement, which would open the way for companies such as General Electric Co. and Westinghouse Electric Co. to sell power plant equipment and expertise to India, would require a change in U.S. laws that prohibit sales of nuclear material to nations that aren't part of the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It also is subject to approval by India's parliament and the 44-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, which sets guidelines for the transfer of nuclear-related equipment.

Cut Off

India has been cut off from technology to expand nuclear power generation, which it needs to feed its booming economy, because of its refusal to sign the non-proliferation treaty and its atomic weapons tests in 1974 and again in 1998.

Congressional concerns are focused on whether India can use the agreement as a way to expand its military nuclear program.

``As we continue to develop a pool of technicians and scientists in India who have the capability to work in the nuclear arena, those people can quickly move their talents from domestic energy production to weapons production,'' Hunter, of California, said.

Democratic Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts, who is leading congressional opposition, said the accord doesn't include enough provisions for international inspections or do enough to guard against the spread of nuclear weaponry.

Lost in Negotiations

``The president lost every negotiating point that would have served as a positive nuclear non-proliferation signal,'' Markey said after Bush and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced their agreement March 2.

Other lawmakers, including Republican Senators Susan Collins of Maine and John McCain of Arizona and Democratic Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware, said they will wait to see the details of the agreement before passing judgment.

Bush will be making his pitch to lawmakers amid public approval ratings at or near all-time lows in national opinion polls. In a Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll taken Feb. 25 to March 1, 38 percent of Americans said they approved of Bush's performance in office, a 5-point drop from a month ago.

Part of that drop may stem from reaction to another issue that crosses foreign with economic policies: approval of a deal that would give state-owned DP World, based in the United Arab Emirates, control of terminal operations at six U.S. seaports, including New York and Miami. Fifty-eight percent of those polled by Bloomberg and the Times said they oppose the transaction.

Illustrating the willingness of Republicans to buck the president, Congress succeeded in delaying the transaction while it is reviewed again for security concerns.

Positive Reactions

The nuclear accord between the U.S. and India won a favorable reaction from the head of the United Nations International Atomic Energy Agency. IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said it would ``bring India closer as an important partner in the non-proliferation regime.''

Karl Inderfurth, U.S. assistant secretary of state for South Asia in President Bill Clinton's administration, said he congratulated the Bush administration ``for finding a creative way to address the energy and non-proliferation issues India faces.''

The agreement will help address India's energy needs as well as meet U.S. interests, he said. ``There is more to commend here than condemn,'' Inderfurth, now a professor at the Elliot School of International Affairs at George Washington University in Washington, said in a March 2 interview.

Pakistan's Response

The accord also won limited support from India's neighbor and sometime rival, Pakistan, which also has nuclear weapons and isn't part of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. After the U.S.-India deal was announced, Pakistan's foreign ministry said the country ``has the same claim and expectation for international cooperation'' on nuclear power.

Pakistan is a key U.S. ally in the war on terrorism and Bush stopped in the capital, Islamabad, after leaving India.

Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, indicated yesterday that while his country wants to expand nuclear power generation, the accord with India and U.S. unwillingness to extend a similar offer to his country won't hamper U.S.-Pakistan relations.

``Pakistan has its interests and United States has its interests in Pakistan,'' Musharraf said in an interview on CNN's ``Late Edition'' program. ``And we don't have to bother what they are doing with India.''

Commitments

Bush and Musharraf reinforced their commitment to working together against terrorists, particularly those hiding in the mountains along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. Since aligning his country with the U.S. after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and the subsequent invasion by the U.S. of Afghanistan, Musharraf has been the target of four attempts on his life.

The U.S. offered no agreements or announcements while Bush was in Pakistan. The administration highlighted existing pledges of $1.5 billion in military financing over the next four years and proposals to increase U.S. investment in the country. Bush also pressed Musharraf to continue moving forward on holding elections there next year.

Bush's trip began with a surprise visit to Afghanistan to express his gratitude to U.S. troops there and President Hamid Karzai for his efforts to advance democracy since the 2001 U.S.- led ouster of the Taliban regime that had harbored al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Bush points to Afghanistan and its efforts to further democracy as a model for the region.

In summarizing the trip on Bush's last day here, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice noted the profound changes in the region.

``It's hard to look back and think about Afghanistan five years ago when the Taliban was in power,'' Rice said. ``All in all, this is a good trip for the president.''

To contact the reporters on this story: Catherine Dodge in Islamabad at cdodge1@bloomberg.net; Richard Keil in Islamabad at Rkeil@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: March 5, 2006 18:20 EST