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United States, India taking steps on 123 Agreement: Lavin

``India is a continent with extraordinary opportunities''

Franklin Lavin

Washington: The United States has said that it was taking steps with India to finalise the civilian nuclear initiative by coming to an understanding on the 123 Agreement that was currently under discussion.

At a seminar, organised by the Woodrow Wilson Center and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Franklin Lavin did not agree with a perception that the ball was in India's court and somehow New Delhi was unwilling to return the ``serve.''

``What both countries are trying to do is to move the relationship ahead in an important area. It is unprecedented for both India and the United States. Both sides are moving and both sides are undertaking steps that their systems, their regulators are not familiar with. So it will take a while,'' he said.

In good faith

Mr. Lavin said both countries had responded in good faith to the nitty-gritty of implementation and his country had no concern.

``I don't think there is any concern on the U.S. side, but the sooner we get it done the better. There is a lengthy pipeline in this project...let us not waste an extended period of time,'' he said, adding there was indeed ``enormous support'' for this nuclear initiative in the U.S. business community.

Mr. Lavin praised India for its economic reforms and policy initiatives and said that the challenge for the U.S. and India was in making up for the ``lost time.''

Boeings to laptops

``India is booming. India is not a country. It is a continent with extraordinary opportunities from Boeings to laptops,'' he said, when asked to comment on opportunities for American business houses.

He said the most critical element of India's globalisation today was its economic relationship with the U.S.

``This might be a somewhat provocative point, but I say this because historically the bilateral relationship, politically and economically, has been underweight, and it is only in recent years that each side is giving due emphasis to this important relationship. Thus, as India continues to open to the world we tend to see this pattern most clearly in the bilateral relationship,'' he said.

Mr. Lavin said the pace of business activity had picked up substantially. ``We see it in our trade missions; the mission we took to India last year turned out to be the largest ever undertaken by the U.S. Government to any country in the world. We have just announced we are increasing our commercial staff in India and opening our seventh office there, more offices than any country in world,'' he said. — PTI

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