India asks US to withdraw sanctions

Published October 2, 2004

NEW DELHI, Oct 1: India on Friday rejected a Bush administration's charge that two Indian scientists had sold weapons and provided sensitive technology to Iran and asked the United States to withdraw sanctions imposed on them.

"No sale of materials, equipment and technologies was involved. No transfer of sensitive technology has taken place," a foreign ministry spokesman said. "The US government has been requested to review the issue and to withdraw the sanctions imposed on Ch Surendar and Y.S.R. Prasad, he said.

Mr Surendar and Mr Prasad are former managing directors and chairmen of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. India has taken up the issue with the US at 'several levels' in the last few days.

"It has been conveyed that we do not share the US assessment. The government of India's commitment to prevent onward proliferation is second to none and our track record in this regard is well known," the spokesman said.

The US on Wednesday slapped sanctions on two Indians, seven Chinese firms as also companies from Belarus, North Korea, Russia, Spain and Ukraine for allegedly selling weapons such as cruise and ballistic missile technology and equipment to Iran.