US sanctions on India, Pak to stay

WASHINGTON, Feb 6 (PTI) — The USA today announced economic sanctions against India and Pakistan will stay as there was no breakthrough in the recent talks Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott had with External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Shamshad Ahmed.

“No,” White House Press Secretary Joe Lockhart said when asked if the USA was ready to lift the sanctions, imposed against the two South Asian neighbours after their tit-for-tat nuclear tests last May.

He, however, told reporters Talbott considered the talks to have been “the most productive”.

“As you know, Talbott held a series of these talks. This was the eighth round of non-proliferation talks with the Indian Government and the Pakistani Government.

“He has met with both leaders (Prime Ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee and Nawaz Sharif). While there was no breakthrough in the meetings, Talbott believes, or is satisfied, with the outcome and found them to be the most productive talks,” Lockhart said.

“So it is important that we continue these. I believe that there will be another round of the talks in the near future. And he was quite pleased with the progress,” he added.

Asked why Clinton made a reference to India in his national prayer breakfast meeting on Thursday, Lockhart said, it suggest that India is often in his thoughts.”

Meanwhile, Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone last night urged President Clinton to lift, without delay, the ban on the World Bank and other international financial institutions’ lending for India’s infrastructure projects in recognition of the progress in the US-India dialogue on the nuclear issue.

In identical letters to the President and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright Pallone said “the USA can show its good faith and desire for improved relations with India by immediately removing the American objection to the World Bank lending to India.” “The continued maintaining of World Bank sanctions against India does not contribute to the administration’s non-proliferation goals and only serves to cut off India from vitally needed funding for infrastructure development.”

He hoped that the goodwill demonstrated in the latest round of the Talbott-Jaswant Singh talks would translate this, and other, concrete steps and a more pragmatic approach from the USA.”

Mr Pallone also hoped that Mr Clinton would soon undertake a visit to India and Pakistan, the region that no US President had cared to visit in the past 20 years.