M A I N   N E W S

Calls in USA to lift sanctions

WASHINGTON, Sept 10 (PTI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s statement before Asia Society suggesting that continued sanctions against India on the nuclear issue were incompatible with the Indo-US agreement that New Delhi was a “natural ally” of Washington has found an echo in Congress.

There are also calls in the USA, as yet not heeded by the Clinton Administration, to recognise openly India’s new importance in the context of the growing military power of China as the only way to maintain a balance of power in the region.

These trends are analysed by Virginia-based consultant John E. Carbaugh, who periodically issues a newsletter analysing the latest trends in Indo-US relations.

An impediment to better Indo-US relations that is likely to be raised is the continuation of US sanctions on India. “Although the USA has partially eased some investment restrictions on India to help it strengthen its financial markets, a host of sanctions remain, including restrictions on export privileges, dual-use technology sales and military trade.

“The lifting of US sanctions is also needed to pave the way for more international loans and assistance to India.”

The calls in the US Congress for the lifting of the remaining sanctions, Mr Carbaugh notes, “have grown louder in the past few months.”

For instance, Democratic Congressman Gary Ackerman, co-chairman of the India caucus in Congress, has said: “Continuing to keep India under a sanctions regime is a short-sighted policy. I strongly urge the administration to initiate immediate measures to remove all economic and dual-use technology sanctions against New Delhi.”

Although the Clinton Administration policy on Kashmir is no longer a single item of renewal of the Indo-Pakistan dialogue and he has added three more “Rs,” analysts have noted the significance of these, namely respect for the Line of Control, restraint and renunciation of violence, on all of which Gen Pervez Musharraf’s attitude is negative, as he supports the “jehadis.”

The significance of it has not yet sunk in among officials, the media and think-tanks which behave as though it is business as usual on the Kashmir issue, namely a parrot-like repetition of the call for dialogue.

Mr Carbaugh notes that “an increasing number of US foreign policy players have cited a common concern over China as a reason for closer Indo-US ties.”

However, he notes, US sanctions have stymied military-to-military ties in the past couple of years. Sanctions have delayed the launch of India’s indigenous light combat aircraft because US help has been needed in the production of the plane’s engines, gyros and the fly-by-wire system.