WASHINGTON: Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who has completed the Washington part of his official U.S. visit, calls it "successful" and holds out the hope that the two countries will expand defence cooperation, including procurements, in every possible sphere.

Talking to the media here, Mr. Mukherjee brushed aside comments that Indo-U.S. defence cooperation was at the expense of Russia or of any other country. "Any one country cannot have everything."

He reiterated that all restrictions on high tech transfers to India should go. Its track record in safeguards was very high. Both Washington and New Delhi would have to understand in greater detail each other's procedures — defence procurement procedure in India and the licensing system in the U.S."

Asked whether he was convinced that the U.S. would be a reliable partner in transfer of high technology, Mr. Mukherjee said one would have to be "practical and realistic" as every country had its own laws, including the role and powers of its legislatures.

"In the U.S. Constitution, Congress has certain powers ... Indian Parliament has certain powers. Executive has to accommodate within the constitutional parameters fixed by the Constitution itself ... Here nobody could give any guarantees that I will do certain things if it is not permissible within the framework of the constitutional system. But what we are trying to do is so that dependability increases," Mr. Mukherjee said.

Mr. Mukherjee said the expanding relations with the U.S. did not mean a union of views on regional and international affairs.

Friends on occasion might have divergent views, as for instance, in the Bush administration maintaining that Pakistan was an effective ally in the war on terror and India taking the position that cross-border terrorism was inspired by Pakistan.

Mr. Mukherjee met senior Bush administration officials, including the Vice-President, the Secretaries of Defence, State and Commerce, the National Security Adviser, the Chairman-Designate of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and leading members of Congress.

He will visit the Joint Forces Command at Norfolk, Virginia and the Northern Command at Colorado Springs, Colorado.

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