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Pallone flays US move to stop scientists' Bombay visit

C K Arora in Washington

Democratic congressman Frank Pallone, in a letter to Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, has expressed concern over the denial of permission to eight American physicists to participate in an international symposium in Bombay and urged top administration officials to reconsider the decision.

He released the letter in Washington last night, copies of which have been sent to President Bill Clinton's National Security Advisor Samuel R Berger, Commerce Secretary William M Daley and Energy Secretary Bill Richardson.

Pallone, one of the founder members of the Congressional Causcus on India and Indian Americans, wanted the US government to consider the negative effects that such policy would have on US scientific research and development.

He made out a strong case for promoting bilateral relations between the two countries.

He had also criticised the Clinton administration for its decision in August last to cancel the visas of seven Indian scientists who were working in the United States and said that the earlier move did little to advance legitimate non-proliferation goals and served largely as a symbolic or punitive measure.

Pallone took the administration to task in November last for its ''entities list'' of Indian companies and other institutions that were barred from cooperation with the US entities as part of the non-proliferation goals.

At that time, he charged that the list cast too wide a net, harming bilateral cooperation in areas that did not affect US security interests and causing American entities to lose valuable opportunities to interact with their Indian counterparts.

The Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, which is organising the symposium in Bombay, is on the ''entities list.''

He said the denial of permission to these US scientists to attend the symposium was due to the fact that the scientists work for the Fermi National Accelerator Lab and the Argon National Lab, both of which are supported by the US energy department.

The congressman recalled that ''the United States has signed international agreements that allow for the free movement of scientists between the countries. At least 25 US scientists from private institutions and universities are planning to attend the symposium.

''I feel that denying certain US scientists from participating in this symposium serves to put these scientists at an unfair disadvantage compared to the scientists from private institutions.

''Both countries recognise the importance of international scientific collaboration,'' Pallone said. ''I understand that the entities list has been developed as part of an effort to sanction India for conducting the nuclear tests.''

He, however, said, ''I urge you (the secretary of state) to consider the negative effects that such policy would have on the US scientific research and development.''

UNI

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