Secretary of state Hillary Clinton flies into Mumbai on Friday to resuscitate America’s alliance with India and restore the love for Brand USA.
Secretary of state Hillary Clinton flies into Mumbai on Friday to resuscitate America’s alliance with India and restore the love for Brand USA. Top of the agenda will be discussions around agreements that will help US firms sell sophisticated arms and nuclear equipment to India, officials said here.
During Clinton’s passage to India, the two countries may sign an ‘end-user monitoring’ agreement.
US companies like Lockheed Martin and Boeing are competing to get a piece of the $30 billion India is expected to spend on military procurement over five years. They need the pact to be able to bid on India’s plans to buy 126 multi-role fighters and military hardware with advanced US technology. A technology safeguards agreement on space launches is also in the works.
If the end-use monitoring agreement is signed, assistant secretary of state Robert Blake suggested it would be on Monday, at the Hyderabad House, in New Delhi. According to Blake, the US hopes India will use Clinton’s five-day trip to announce two sites where US firms will enjoy exclusive rights to build nuclear power plants.
“That’s a major opportunity for US companies, and opens up $10 billion worth of exports to India.”
India has designated sites for French and Russian-built nuclear reactors. Undeterred by the G8 ban on enrichment and re-processing (ENR) technology, India is offering the US two nuclear facilities to build out in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh, according to industry sources.
But India will use the visit to seek clarifications on the G8’s declaration at L’Aquila, banning the export of ENR technology. Talks on a range of nuclear regulatory issues and a reprocessing agreement with the US are likely to start at the end of the month.
“Nobody will stand with a ‘stop’ sign when India goes in for ENR technology,” quipped former US ambassador to India Frank Wisner, who now represents the top Washington lobbying firm Patton Boggs. The US industry paid Patton Boggs handsomely to sell the nuclear deal on Capitol Hill.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}