MUMBAI, Oct 28: US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson on Sunday urged India to proceed with a controversial US civilian nuclear deal and to take a leadership role in stalled global trade talks by opening more of its economy.
Paulson said he received a warm reception on the subject of the stalled Doha round of trade talks after meeting Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee, a senior Commerce and Industry Department official and West Bengal business leaders said in Kolkata.
“I believe that India knows how important Doha is and India doesn’t want to let Doha fail,” Paulson told reporters on his flight from Kolkata to Mumbai.
Paulson said he emphasised with the officials and in an earlier meeting with the West Bengal Chief Minister that India should resolve political differences over the controversial deal that would provide India with US nuclear technology and proceed with it as quickly as possible.
Communist and Leftist parties in Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s coalition government oppose the deal, arguing it would compromise India’s sovereignty and bring into the sphere of US influence.
Paulson, who will meet with Singh in New Delhi on Monday, said the United States believes the nuclear deal was important for India’s economic growth, energy security and environmental protection efforts.
“You all have to work through your own internal political decision. That’s up to India,” Paulson told reporters here after an event highlighting the need to bring more of India’s poor into the formal banking system.
“Again, we think this is a very important deal and I would just encourage you to move forward as quickly as possible,” Paulson said.
Paulson spoke after meeting in the village near Kolkata with officials from ICICI Bank, financial “smart card” provider Fino and local villagers who use the cards to make deposits and other transactions with bank money collectors.—Reuters
