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Pallone urges Clinton not to cancel India trip

Frank Pallone, founder and co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus on India, has urged US President Bill Clinton to go ahead with his scheduled visit to India immediately after the general election.

The Democratic Party congressman made the plea in a letter to the president. He expressed concern at reports in a section of the Indian media, hinting at the possibility of cancelling the trip due to the general election.

He, however, felt there was no harm in delaying the visit due to the election. Clinton must be in New Delhi before August 15 next, when the 50th anniversary of its Independence ends.

Clinton had originally thought of visiting the region between February 10 and 20. But that would be election time and he is being advised that he should not go there in the thick of the poll campaign.

He would be the first US president to visit India in 20 years. The last such trip was undertaken in 1978 by then president Jimmy Carter.

Pallone recalled the appeal made by 54 congressmen a couple of months ago, urging Clinton to visit India and said, ''I know you (Clinton) consider India's Independence to be an important milestone in terms of the promotion of democracy in Asia and throughout the world. Congress members from both parties greeted the announcement -- that you would be travelling to India -- very positively.''

Pallone, who has visited India twice this year and met then prime minister H D Deve Gowda and his successor Inder Kumar Gujral, said it was clear that the government and the people of India considered a visit by Clinton to be of utmost importance -- and long overdue.

He said the president's decision to visit India had helped improve the climate for better relations between the ''world's largest democracies''.

''The opportunities for an enhanced US-India partnership on security issues, trade and investment, disarmament, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, and many other areas would receive a significant boost by a presidential visit,'' he added.

UNI

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