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Review export curbs: Menon urges U.S.

Special Correspondent

Says that in view of the deepening ties, ambitions of the two nations have grown

New Delhi: Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon on Thursday urged Washington to re-examine the export curbs on high technology items as “the regulatory framework must stay in step with the unfolding strategic partnership between India and the U.S.”.

Crediting the U.S for having taken a series of steps to bring down the list of items prohibited for exports to India, he said both countries would discuss measures to ensure that the licensing procedures remained in step with the growing ties.

“We need to ensure that Indian organisations with which the U.S. has agreed to cooperate must be taken off the entities list. This should be a logical step. We must ensure that the development of cooperation and the operation of the licensing system are in track with the opportunities,” Mr. Menon said at a meeting of the Indo-U.S. High Technology Group (HTCG).

In view of the deepening bilateral relations, the ambitions of the two countries had grown. It was, therefore, logical to remove the irritants on high technology trade, he argued, adding that India wanted “precise and inclusive identification” of items for high tech collaboration.

For the forum to be effective, Mr. Menon wanted the HTCG to maintain a continuous process of interaction with focused identification of the initiatives that both countries needed to take.

U.S. official’s proposal

Mario Mancuso of the Bureau of Industry and Security in the U.S. Department of Commerce, proposed the setting up of a working group on civil aviation to take cooperation in this sector to a new trajectory.

Asked to respond later in the day to Mr. Menon’s observations on the need to reduce export controls, Mr. Mancuso said the U.S. was committed to looking at all those areas but no commitment could be given in this regard.

“We are committed to finding ways consistent to our national requirements. The key message is that this is a strategic relationship and we are actively looking for ways to expand the hi-tech trade.”

Mr. Mancuso urged Indian companies to apply for the validated end users (VEU) programme to avoid seeking a licence each time they wanted to import an item.

One of the VEU clauses asks companies to sign an agreement to allow on-site reviews by U.S. government officials.

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