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US Congressman asks PM to take 'positive' initiative

Democratic Congressman Sherrod Brown last night urged Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to respond with his 'positive and far-reaching' proposals to the United States's desire for 'expanded political, strategic and economic' ties with India to build 'even stronger relationship between the two countries'.

In a statement felicitating Vajpayee on winning the confidence vote in the Lok Sabha, he drew attention to the 'welcome' departure brought about by the Bill Clinton administration from the past US policy which had best been characterised as the 'benign neglect' of India.

Brown, who is a co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Indian and Indian-Americans, hoped that India's new prime minister would carry forward the recent trend towards 'stronger and deeper' US-India relations.

''Further more, the February national election served once again to underscore India's commitment to democracy in stark contract to several of its Asian neighbours where coercion and brute force are employed to keep citizens in line and regimes in powers.

''Today's US-India relationship is based on many shared values and mutual benefits. America is India's largest trading partner and cross-investment is increasing.''

Obviously, he was referring to US imports from India which touched $ 7.3 billion mark last year, an increase of $ 1.2 billion (8.7 per cent) over the level of imports in 1996.

The stock of US foreign direct investment in India in 1996 was $ 1.1 billion, an increase of 35.9 per cent from the US FDI in 1995. The US investment in India is concentrated largely in the banking, manufacturing and financial services sectors, but a substantial portion of new investment approvals are in infrastructure sectors.

The US merchandise exports to India were $ 3.6 billion, an increase of $ 298 million (nine per cent) from that of 1996. India was the US's 32nd largest export market in 1997.

UNI

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