No 'big ticket' agreements on table during PM's state visit to US.Byline: ANI New Delhi New Delhi (dĕl`ē), city (1991 pop. 294,149), capital of India and of Delhi state, N central India, on the right bank of the Yamuna River. , Nov 20 (ANI): Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh leaves for United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. on invitation of President Barack Obama on Saturday, but chances are very slim that any big-ticket agreements will be signed. Ironically, the landmark 123 Agreement that ended India's nuclear isolation, which was signed last year by Dr. Singh and then President George W Bush amid much fanfare, is still commercially non-operative. "Complex" technical issues related to licensing, liability legislation and reprocessing are still under negotiation and India is not expecting it to conclude during the Prime Minister's visit. "Implementation of this agreement is ongoing process. Liability law is getting highest attention, our delegation is working together closely to come to an understanding on reprocessing and licensing," said Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao. "I am optimistic we are well within our timeline, we are dealing with complex issues but are committed to the full implementation of the agreement this will take some time we are not expecting to conclude the process during Prime Minister's visit,' she added. India, which has recently concluded End User Agreement with US, is hopeful that Dr. Singh's state visit to the US will raise relationship to higher level and give impetus to Indo-US defense cooperation. But conclusion of strategically important Logistical Support Agreement and CISMO has been ruled out. The Indian Foreign Secretary said with finalisation of end user agreement it is our hope that our access to US defence technology will increase in future as far as other agreements are concerned we are continuing to discuss some pending issues relating to these agreements. However, according to highly placed sources the two countries will be signing Memorandum of Understanding A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is a legal document describing a bilateral or multilateral agreement between parties. It expresses a convergence of will between the parties, indicating an intended common line of action and may not imply a legal commitment. on counter terrorism, renewable energy, intellectual property rights and agriculture during the visit. Briefing reporters on the agenda of Dr. Singh's visit to the US, Rao further said all issues of mutual and immediate interest would be taken up during the visit. India will also be discussing issue of terrorism in Pakistan Terrorism in Pakistan has been prevalent since the 1980s mostly due to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, and the subsequent proxy war against the communists that continued for at least a decade. and Afghanistan, she said. "The visit affords us to articulate concerns about the situation in Pakistan particularly with reference to the activities of terrorist groups operating from Pakistani soil." "We have always emphasised the need for our friends our partners and the international community to understand the situation in Pakistan and the need for Pakistan to dismantle terror infrastructure," Rao said. Dr. Singh will also be meeting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Defence Secretary Robert Gates, Vice President Joe Biden and Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. The Prime Minister will also be holding meeting with Indo-US CEOs forum and business council. Dr Singh will also deliver a lecture at the US council on Foreign Relations The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an influential and independent, nonpartisan foreign policy membership organization founded in 1921 and based at 58 East 68th Street (corner Park Avenue) in New York City, with an additional office in Washington, D.C. , which will be attended by top US think tanks. By Naveen Kapoor (ANI) Copyright 2009 Asian News International The Asian News International (ANI) agency provides multimedia news to China and 50 bureaus in India. It covers virtually all of South Asia since its foundation and presently claims, on its official website, to be the leading South Asia-wide news agency. (ANI) - All Rights Reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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