Indo-US strategic dialogue
July 19, 2011India and the United States are holding talks on boosting security cooperation and economic ties on the opening day of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to the South Asian Nation.
The talks are aimed at expanding cooperation in as many as 18 areas, including trade and educational exchange as well as counterterrorism, which is expected to be high on the list.
Clinton's arrival followed the blasts in Mumbai last week that killed 19 people and injured more than 130 in the latest reminder of the region's struggle to crack down on terror attacks.
India’s concerns over the US troop drawdown in Afghanistan and its renewed peace talks with arch-rival Pakistan are expected to figure in the US-India "strategic dialogue" in New Delhi.
India suspended its peace dialogue with Pakistan after the 2009 Mumbai attacks, and talks between the nuclear-armed neighbors only resumed earlier this year. Clinton referred to the ongoing peace talks between India and Pakistan as encouraging.
Energy market
Besides economic cooperation, defense and environmental issues, the implementation of a US-India civilian nuclear deal is another important area of discussion.
A landmark deal between the two countries in 2008 that allowed India to buy nuclear reactors and fuel was meant to lead to major contracts for US firms, but those hopes have been undermined by legal obstacles and uncertainty.
Clinton on Tuesday pressed for easier access to the Indian market for US nuclear energy firms, which is trailing their French and Russian competitors. "With regard to our civil nuclear agreement ... we need to resolve those issues that remain so we can reap the rewards of a robust energy partnership," Clinton said in opening remarks during her trip to India.
Clinton will meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh before flying to the southern city of Chennai, a hub for US investment, on Wednesday. She is to leave the country Thursday for the next leg of her trip to Indonesia and China.
Autor: Ziphora Robina (AFP,dpa)
Editor: Sarah Berning