US can't stop aid to India, say 30 Congressmen

Some 30 Congressmen, belonging to both the Democratic and the Repulbican parties, have vowed to resist all possible moves in the US Congress to deny American development aid to India.

Speaking at the annual congressional luncheon of the Indian- American Forum for Political Education on Thursday, they said the proposed aid-cut would send a wrong signal to India at a time when it was in the midst of market-oriented economic reforms.

On the contrary, they advocated a policy of constant US engagement with India as both countries shared common democratic values and respect for human rights. Moreover, India, with the potential of emerging as an economic giant in the near future, offered tremendous opportunities to US business, they added. India's ambassador to the US, Naresh Chandra, who was also present, thanked the members who supported Prime Minister I K Gujral's efforts to normalise relations with neighbouring countries.

The public demonstration of support came as a morale- booster to the friends of India in the US congress who are preparing for a fight against an amendment to the US foreign operations bill seeking to stop India's aid. The bill is due for discussion in the House shortly.

The draft bill has a provision, envisaging the suspension of American aid to countries which have voted with the United States at the United Nations less than 25 per cent of the time in crucial votes. India is one of the five countries which falls in this category. The other four -- Cuba, North Korea, Syria and Iraq -- do not get any kind of assistance. Thus, the clear target is India.

But the friends of India asserted themselves in the House foreign relations committee and got the anti-India provision deleted from the draft through a majority vote.

After their defeat in the committee, India-bashers are now planning to reintroduce their amendment on the floor of the House during the discussion on the bill.

Thus, the support offered by the bipartisan group of Congressmen would help the friends of India in their efforts to retain the allocated amount of about $ 150 million as US aid to India in the coming fiscal year.

Senate foreign relations committee chairman Jesse Helms said he would try his best, as head of the committee, to further strengthen US-India relations.

House of Representatives foreign relations committee chairman Benjamin Gilman wanted the US to help India. He said the Chinese transfer of nuclear technical know-how to Pakistan was a matter of concern for his committee.

Both Senator Helms and Congressman Gilman belong to the Republican party.

Congressman Frank Pallonc announced that he along with his colleague Bill McCollum proposed to introduce an amendment to the bill urging the Clinton administration to work with Prime Minister Gujral in promoting peace in South Asia and strengthening India-US relations.

Pallone, who is a co-founder of the congressional caucus on India, put on record his appreciation of the efforts made by Gujral and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharief to normalise relations between India and Pakistan.

Meanwhile, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday that India was contesting the US allegations under 'Special 301' provisions that New Delhi was denying adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights.

Minister of State for Commerce B B Ramaiah told Chitta Basu (Forward Bloc) and others in a written reply that the US had informed the World Trade Organisation that India was not complying with certain provisions of the WTO agreement on trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights.

The minister said that India had been retained on the 'priority watchlist''following the US government's 1997 annual review under the 'Special 30''' provisions, applied to countries which deny adequate and effective protection of intellectual property rights and fair and equitable market access to US persons who rely on IPRs.

Dr Ramaiah said the European Union had imposed provisional anti-dumping duties on the imports of unbleached cotton fabrics originating in China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey.

An anti-dumping investigation had also been initiated by the EU against exports of bed linen from various countries, including India.

The government had been providing all possible assistance to the Indian exporters in the anti-dumping investigation at the diplomatic level.

The rate of the provisional anti-dumping duty imposed was 47.2 per cent. However, some imports manufactured by Indian companies have been exempted from the duty.

He said the Plastics and Linoleum Export Promotion Council on behalf of the Indian exporting units had engaged a consultant, Van Bael Bellis, Brussels, for contesting the anti-dumping case filed by EU.

UNI