Home   Contact Us                                                                     Dateline New Delhi, Saturday, July 16, 2005

 

 


Main Page                                                       Archive


 India-US all set to sign 16 statements of cooperation
by Priscilla Huff

     Washington: India and the United States are all set to sign 16 statements of cooperation during Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's first bilateral visit to Washington since the formation of his government in May 2004. A senior administration official emphasized that the statements of cooperation are being prepared ahead of Monday's White House meetings. The communiques cover a range of> agreements on business, commerce, and even the preservation of the Bengal tiger. As for the expansion of the U.N. Security Council, senior Bush Administration officials say that the timing is just not right for consideration of any American proposals, much less the G-4 proposals. Washington is emphasizing that the U.N. Secretariat, Human Rights Commission and other reforms must be addressed first. On the diplomatic front, issues as nuclear cooperation, Kashmir and terrorism have been described as very sensitive topics, which will be raised at the appropriate time and in the right fora. The message that the Bush Administration wants to send ahead of Monday's meeting is that this is a rare and historic event, meant to signal India's rise in importance as the world's largest democracy and one of America's most important relationships. A senior American official has already said that he expects the meeting between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President George W Bush to usher in a "historic step forward" in the bilateral relationship. Asserting that "the mutual interests of India and the United States are now coinciding more than ever before," the official said "it is a new day in the relationship." For the US, he said, there was no higher priority than expanding and broadening the relationship with India. "The US sees India as one of our most important partners worldwide, given the fact that India is a rising democratic power in the region and the world. We have never had an Indo-US relationship as comprehensive and as broad-based and so important in its full dimensions for both countries. We see India as one of our key partners worldwide," the official told Indian and American correspondents on Friday. "We are very, very close now to completion of the NSSP (Next Steps in Strategic Partnership). That is why Monday's visit is so important. Our interests coincide more than ever before. That is one of the reasons why we have this emerging relationship at several levels," he said.

Indian tricolour flying across Washington DC (Go To Top)

     Washington: Indian flgas are already flying on Washington D.C.'s streets. While it is still 36 hours before Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh lands in Washington D.C., the Indian tricolour has already taken over the city. The tricolour is distinctly visible along all major avenues and atop major buildings of the American capital. The Indian flag is flying on Pennsylvania Avenue, which is in front of the White House, on Constitution Avenue, which is the main thoroughfare connecting major U.S.Government buildings and establishments. Around the White House, for instance at K Street, which is the city's major business centre, the Indian flag is fluttering. The Bush administration has rarely hosted full state visits, preferring working lunches with heads of state or government. That the flags are already flying in the American capital is an indication of the high-level of anticipation and expectations from Prime Minister Singh's three-day visit, officially beginning on Monday.

India not for sale, says Prime Minister Manmohan Singh  (Go To Top)
by Smita Prakash

      On board Air-India One: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today sought to silence his critics who have termed the recent warming of Indo-US ties as a "sell out". The Prime Minister said "India is not for sale" and that "the protection of the nation's rights is my concern and duty and I will discharge it to the end of my life". The Prime Minster, lashing out at those who accused the Government of abandoning the principles of Non Alignment said, "it is an insult to the party I represent. The Congress Party has produced several leaders during the freedom struggle who gave up their lives to defend the honour and dignity of the country and to say that a Prime Minister from that Party will think consciously or unconsciously sell India ... India is not for sale". The Prime Minister said it was time to be pragmatic and to "reconcile to the fact that US is the most important power and its influence extends in all areas of international concern. It is not necessary that the interest of the US will coincide with our interest. Yet we cannot develop in isolation. We have to make every effort to find areas of convergence"..which will enhance India's capacity for economic growth". When asked whether terrorism would figure in his talks with his American hosts and whether he would refer to terror emanating from Pakistan, the Prime Minister said "we will not compromise on terrorism" and after the London blasts the whole world recognized that "terrorism poses a threat to peace, progress and security to the entire civilized world and therefore we have an obligation to work together to eradicate terrorism". The Prime Minister chose not to mention Pakistan specifically and said "internationally we will work with all like minded nations to create a system of checks and balances to combat terrorism." When asked whether the Iran gas pipe line issue would come up during the talks, the Prime Minister said ,"It is a matter that I don't have to raise. It's between Iran and us and that's the end of the matter". Since this is an issue on which there is no 'convergence' of views with the US, the Prime Minister probably thought it prudent not to dwell too long on the matter. The main purpose of his visit to the US, he said was "to enlist support and cooperation" to India's objectives and goals and the "foremost concern is economic development". The Prime Minister said that whereas the bulk of resource mobilization came domestically the country needed transfer of technology from international players in order to expand the economy. With regard to seeking US cooperation on civilian nuclear energy, the Prime Minister said that to maintain the 7 per cent growth rate the country needed to develop clean source of energy keeping in mind environmental concerns and nuclear energy could be the answer to that growing demand and the parameters mentioned above. The Prime Minister also said that there was greater understanding that India is a nuclear power. Dr. Singh said that India has faced discriminatory restrictions but now there was a greater appreciation of India's commercial needs for accelerated growth of its economy. The Prime Minister and his delegation have an overnight halt in Frankfurt and will leave on Sunday morning for what has been termed as a "history making" visit to the most powerful city of the world.

Nuclear energy to top Indian PM's agenda in the US (Go To Top)

     New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today left for a visit to the United States hoping to seal a growing friendship with Washington with a landmark deal over sharing nuclear technology and backing for a U.N. Security Council seat. Singh's three-day state visit starting July 18 as he makes a brief stopover at Frankfurt, is seen by New Delhi as a touchstone of U.S. President George W. Bush's intention to take the relationship between the world's two largest democracies to new heights. Singh, seen off by members of his cabinet and ruling coalition chairperson Sonia Gandhi, said he will seek Bush administration's help in boosting New Delhi's civilian nuclear energy programme. "In my meetings with President Bush, I look forward to a comprehensive review of our bilateral relations. The United States is our largest trading partner. Accelerated economic cooperation, relating to trade, investment and technology collaboration is a primary objective. Some of the initiatives under consideration include enhancing the content of our economic and energy dialogues: global initiatives on democracy and on combating HIV/AIDS and on agricultural education and research. We hope to strengthen our relations in the field of science and technology. And hope to enhance the content of our interactions in the field of space and civilian nuclear energy cooperation," Singh said minutes before his departure. The real success of his visit may be measured by whether the Bush administration backs its candidature for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council. Relations between India and the United States have come a long way from the days of the Cold War when the two countries were on opposite sides. India's economic reform program, its huge market, a booming information technology industry, its military might and potential as a counterweight to China have all combined to bring New Delhi closer to Washington. Today, the two capitals are talking about India buying U.S. F-16 fighter jets and nuclear reactors -- a far cry from the days when Washington imposed sanctions on New Delhi after it conducted nuclear tests in 1998. India, which has refused to sign most global non-proliferation regimes saying they are discriminatory, has been looking to develop its civilian nuclear industry with Russian and U.S. help. At present, only three percent of India's total power requirement is met by nuclear energy, a proportion New Delhi aims to increase to around 25 percent by 2050. Securing support for India's candidature for a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council could be even trickier. New Delhi is part of a group called the G-4 -- Germany, Japan and Brazil, all aspirants for permanent Security Council seats. So far, the United States has only backed Japan, but Indian officials hope Singh might win the White House over. Much hinges on whether the two nations can resolve differences over Iran. India is pushing for a $4 billion plan to build a gas pipeline from Iran through Pakistan, brushing aside U.S. concerns over the project as Washington pressures Tehran over what it says is a secret nuclear weapons program. Given India's soaring energy needs, some say Washington might find it hard to block the pipeline deal -- unless it is prepared to extend a helping hand to India's attempts to develop alternative, nuclear sources of energy.

India's forex reserves slip $ 544 m to $ 136.90 b (Go To Top)

     Mumbai: Continuing its downward trend for the third consecutive week, India's foreign exchange reserves declined by 544 million to 136.899 billion dollars for the week ended July 8, 2005. According to the weekly statistical supplement released here by the Reserve Bank of India on Saturday, the forex reserves for the week ended on July 8, stood at 136.899 billion dollars in comparison to 137.443 billion dollar during the previous week, registering a net decline of 0.544 billion dollar. The foreign currency assets declined by 529 million dollars to 130.897 billion dollars in comparison to 131.426 billion dollars during the week ended on July 1. The country's reserve tranche position dropped by 15 million dollars to 1.545 billion dollar, the report said. However, Gold reserves and Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) remained static at 4.453 billion dollars and four million dollars respectively, it added. According to the analysts, the fall in the foreign exchange reserves is mainly due to revaluation of global currencies including the US dollar and Euro.

References: Gurez Pakistani infiltrators encounter, Pottermania, BJP workers protest Salman, anthrax scare Tamil Nadu, Al Qaeda mother of Satan, bomber visited British parliament Labour MP guest, cleric nabbed 7/7, editors PM US, India-US cooperation, Indian tricolour Washington DC, India not for sale Manmohan Singh, nuclear energy PM US agenda, forex reserve, Paris Hilton, Tony Blair smoking, Cherie, Cool J fatal attraction, Jolie adoption, eminem retirement, Colin Farrell, Oprah Nobel prize, Sandra Bullock, Britney, India, India News, Newspaper, Indian, News, Travel News, India Travel Times, Travel,Tourism, Tour, Tourist, India, Times, News, Hotels, Airlines, Ayurveda, Yoga, Hindu, Taj Mahal, Cuisine, Festival, Temple, Trekking, Hindu, Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Odissi, Dance, Shimla,Varanasi, Kullu, Manali, Dehra Dun, Mussourie, Mussoorie, Haridwar, Hardwar, Rishikesh, Nainital, Delhi, Goa, Kovalam, Darjeeling, Bodh Gaya, Kancheepuram, Kanchipuram, Thekkady, Badrinath, Amar Nath,Vaishno Devi, Tirupati, Sabarimala, Guruvayoor, Kanyakumari, Kodaikanal, Ooty, Chennai,

     Previous File                 Go To Top
Home    Contact Us
NOTE:  Free contributions of articles and reports may be sent to editor@indiatraveltimes.com
DISCLAIMER
All Rights Reserved ©indiatraveltimes.com