March, 17 2005	Thursday	06 Safar 1426

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NEW DELHI, March 16: India and the United States expressed sharp differences on Wednesday over two issues seen as central to the visit of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to the region –- the US proposal to sell F-16 warplanes to Islamabad and India’s plans to bring Iranian natural gas via a pipeline through Pakistan. There was some fudging on the Indian quest for a permanent seat in the United Nations, with no clear commitment either way. Otherwise both sides expressed clear convergence on most issues, including Nepal, Afghanistan and evidently even on Iraq over which the Indian parliament actually has a standing resolution opposing the US invasion.

“Madam, we acknowledge your great political vision and I felt that we were on the same wavelength as we look at this relationship not only for what it offers today but at its enormous potential to shape our global future to our mutual advantage,” Indian Foreign Minister Kunwar Natwar Singh told Dr Rice at a joint news conference.

On her part Dr Rice responded with an even more generous worldview for India, saying: “I think it shows that India and the United States have regional responsibilities but also increasingly global responsibilities. We respect this great democracy. We respect what it has been able to achieve for its people.”

They agreed on Nepal, where “democratic freedoms must be restored and reconciliation with political parties must lead to return to multi-party democracy in Nepal.”

Their defence cooperation was strong — military to military contacts and joint exercises included. The United States looks forward to enhancing that defence cooperation over the next several years.

Dr Rice said she wants an energy dialogue with India because the demands for energy of growing economies like India and the United States are demands that will have to be met in order to keep prosperous and growing and expanding economies that can then serve the needs of their people.

“We look forward to a large scale energy dialogue that looks at ways to meet our energy needs and at the same time to be responsive to environmental concerns,” she said.

On India-Pakistan ties, she recalled her country’s support for the composite dialogue. “We very much admire what the Prime Minister and President Musharraf have been able to continue. Given the change in government here in India it is heartening that the dialogue has continued and indeed accelerated and we want to be supportive in any way that we can.”

The United States was not pleased about India’s interest in Iran’s gas. “I think our views concerning Iran are very well known by this time and we have communicated to the Indian government our concerns about gas pipeline cooperation between Iran and India,” Dr Rice said. “I think our ambassador has made statements in that regard. So, those concerns are well-known to the Indian government.”

Instead she offered to look at the broader question of how India meets its energy needs over the next decades, and whether its rapidly growing economy.