Foreign Secretary speaks highly of India-US ties

Washington, Feb 24 (UNI) Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon has spoken highly of the potential of emerging relationship between India and US saying, there is a determination on both sides ''to do whatever we can to carry this forward''.

''I leave Washington convinced not just to the potential of this relationship, but how important it is for us and how much potential it has to address not just our own concerns but even global issues,'' he told a press conference here last night at the end of his three-day official US visit, his first after taking over as the Foreign Secretary.

Mr Menon said he was also ''convinced that while we set in place a frame-work and we have taken the first steps to realise some of the potential of this relationship, there is much we can and we will do.'' When a correspondent drew his attention to some of the pending issues between India and the US, Mr Menon said, ''You have to look at things with perspectives. Much of what you mentioned is problems of intimacy.'' There was a time when you were doing very little trade with the US, when you have very little to do with the US and many of the things you mentioned were not even the issues. These are issues today because you have a relationship today that is so much better than you ever had before.'' The Foreign Secretary went on, ''Your relationship today is better than it probably ever been in history and there is no denying of that.

So, no matter how long the list of problems of intimacy that you managed to produce, I don't think I change my judgment that this is a relationship which is not just very important but it is better than ever before and has the potential of even getting better in future. And, I think that is the context in which you need to look at the individual issues that you might mention.'' Asked about the status of the Indo-US nuclear deal, Mr Menon said, they were still discussing 123 agreement and engaged in the task of putting the understanding reached between the leaders of the two countries into a legal framework.

He did not give any time-frame for the completion of this exercise, saying, ''We want to do it as quickly as possible.'' On the India-US cooperation in the field of counter-terrorism, the Foreign Secretary said, ''We are very happy with our experience in working with the US on counter-terrorism and we hope to take it to a new level in future.'' During his stay here, he called on Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and Agriculture Secretary Mike Johann and met top officials of the State Department, including Deputy Secretary John Negroponte.

Mr Menon said, their discussions at the State Department centered around bilateral relations and ''the transformation that has been taking place in the relationship in the last two years and how to carry this [trend] forward''.

Talking about his meeting with the Agriculture Secretary, he said this was the area which was central to India's economic development.

India needs a ''second green revolution'' and the two officials exchanged views on issues related to it.

Commenting on Mr Menon's meetings with US officials, a White House spokesman said, ''My experience is that our contact with India is extensive and was fairly extensive prior to the civil nuclear agreement, and I think it's growing. Our ties are extensive. As you know, Indians living in the United States are a fairly large and growing part of our population.

Our education exchanges are extensive. Our trade and investment exchanges are extensive. And I see these kinds of exchanges between all levels of our government continuing and growing, and I think that's a good sign.'' Mr Menon will leave for New York tomorrow where he will see United Nation Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

UNI