US ‘encourages’ India to complete N-deal
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 4
On a day when the Rajya Sabha witnessed a bitter debate on Indo-US nuclear deal, US Ambassador David C. Mulford here today said Washington ‘encouraged’ India to complete the deal and exhorted the country to speed up economic reforms in crucial sectors like insurance and financial services.

The ambassador’s remarks may well cause a political furore as the Left parties have taken exception to Mulford’s remarks in the past.

Mulford said these economic reforms would multiply economic ties between the two countries and said Washington was seeking a partnership between the world’s largest democracies.

Mulford stressed on the role of private sector in shaping relations between the nations, saying that he considered himself more of a chief executive of the US embassy in India rather than US ambassador. “The strategic relationship we have built for the last few years is of the highest priority. We seek the partnership between the world’s largest democracies, which are major powers in their own right.”

The ambassador, while alluding to the nuclear deal debate in the Rajya Sabha, said the US continued to be respectful of India’s democratic process. He said the passage of the Hyde Act last year was an outstanding example of bipartisan consensus and statesmanship within the US Congress at a time when its members were deeply divided along party lines on many important issues.

“Following the completion of negotiations on the 123 agreement, we continue to encourage the Government of India to move forward to complete the process that President Bush and Prime Minister Singh have delineated, and which when completed will bring profound economic and non-proliferation benefits,” Mulford told business leaders and media at a function here. The function was held to felicitate him for getting a top US award for exemplary diplomatic service.

About the debate in India over the nuclear deal, which aims at the resumption of global civilian nuclear commerce with New Delhi, the US envoy reminded New Delhi of strong bipartisan support for the enabling Hyde Act passed by the US Congress last year. “In the recent period, we have been respectful of India’s democratic process, and will continue to be. Our belief is that this initiative is good for India, good for the world, and good for the US.”