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Indian-American caucus hails lifting of sanctions

The congressional caucus on India and Indian-Americans has hailed the Clinton administration's decision to waive certain nuclear-related sanctions against India as a ''positive step'' in rebuilding the relationship between New Delhi and Washington.

In a joint statement in Washington last night, its newly-elected two co-chairmen -- congressman Gary Ackerman and congressmen Jim Greenwood -- however, expressed concern at the administration's plan to provide a one-time waiver of International Monetary Fund sanctions for Pakistan, while allowing the IMF sanctions to be in place against India.

They were generally optimistic about the administration's move to waive sanctions. ''When Congress passed the waiver authority as part of the omnibus appropriations package, we wanted to give the administration the power to have a real dialogue with both countries in the region,'' they said.

The two congressmen wanted the US to appreciate India's security concerns, noting the steps New Delhi had unilaterally taken to reduce nuclear tension in the region. ''The fact that the administration has used its waiver authority suggests India's efforts are being appreciated and the dialogue between the two democracies in yielding positive results,'' they added.

UNI

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