Even as the US continued ranting, with its ambassador to the United Nations (UN) Nikki Haley saying her country doesn't need India, China or France advising it on climate change, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj firmly said here on Monday that the Paris Accord was neither signed under pressure nor for any money. She denounced US President Donald Trump's allegation that in signing the historic accord, it had reaped "billions" of dollars.
"What Trump said is not the reality," Swaraj said. The US President had claimed that New Delhi will be paid billions of dollars to meet its commitments to the climate change accord. "India will be allowed to double its coal production by 2020. Think of it. India can double their coal production. We're supposed to get rid of ours," Trump had said.
Since last Thursday, when Trump announced the US was walking away from the Paris Accord, External Affairs Ministry officials were treading cautiously, lest it casts a shadow on the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump later this month. Even though both leaders have spoken thrice since Trump took over, this will be their first meeting. Though not officially announced yet, sources in the government said that the PM was expected to be in Washington from June 26-29.
Besides the new issue of climate change, the proposed changes in the H1B visa, the tightening of security checks for visas, and the role of the US and India in resolving the Afghan crisis are also on the top of the agenda list for both leaders.
Denouncing impression that India got any money for signing the deal, Swaraj said India never intended to profit from the accord. She also made it clear that India will remain committed to the pact to tackle global warming "whether the US stays in it or not". "We signed it because of our belief -- a 5,000-year-old belief in environment. If someone says we signed it for money or under pressure, I'll reject it. It is wrong. It is in our civilization that we worship nature, be that a tree, mountains or rivers," she said.
Backing Trump, US Ambassador Haley claimed that the reason the US withdrew from the accord was because under its conditions, businesses could not be run. Calling the regulations "unattainable", she said that former US President Barack Obama did not approach the US Senate to clear the climate deal, "because he couldn't". Irked by India extending its cooperation with France, Haley said: "I think the rest of the world would like to tell us how to manage our own environment and I think that anybody in America can tell you that we're best to decide what America should do. We don't need India and France and China telling us what they think we should do."
Ramblings on climate change apart, Swaraj said there was no change in the Indo-US relationship under the Trump administration. "They are progressing as they were during the Obama presidency and the pace has not slowed down," she said. While describing proposed changes in H1B visas as a "matter of concern", Swaraj said that the government was engaged with the Trump administration as well as US Congressmen on the issue and was "alert" to any possible negative impact.
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 "Sushma swaraj at Press conference")
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