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US Prepares to Lift Sanctions Against India
The Bush administration will begin talks with Congress next month on the lifting of sanctions imposed on India after the South Asian country's nuclear test in 1998, paving the way for expanded military cooperation between the two countries.
U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard L. Armitage said State Department officials have held preliminary talks with Congress and will continue the work "at a speed visible to the naked eye" in easing sanctions once Congress returns from summer recess, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.
The move would promote cooperation between the United States and India in military planning, joint exercises and operations, officer exchanges, the combat against piracy and protection of navigation through the crucial seal lanes of the Indian Ocean, and eventual sharing of weapons technology, the newspaper said.
The lift of sanctions against India "would give us a wider range of flexibility in moving forward in these areas," and "you' ve seen some seeds sprouting. With the (upcoming discussions), we now have a way forward with these activities," said Dennis C. Blair, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Command.
The Bush administration has been seeking warmer ties with India and the two countries are strengthening political dialogues and economic cooperation. They are also coordinating in the military field, including the planning of peace-keeping operations.
Armitage said that for the United States to have "a substantial relationship" with India, "it must be based in and on India and not be a relationship which we try to develop with India to face a third country."
After India conducted nuclear tests in May 1998, the United States imposed a series of restrictions, including a suspension of training for India's military officers and a ban on U.S. military sales and the transfer of weapons technology to India.
The United States, however, has already relaxed the sanctions by allowing Indian officers to receive American training, and this year the United States will spend 500,000 dollars on the military education and training of Indian officers, The Washington Post reported.
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