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First Indo-US joint parliamentary working group set up

C K Arora in Washington

Members of the Indian Parliament and the US congress have set up a US-India Inter-Parliamentary Working Group, the first cooperative legislative venture which seeks to establish regular contacts between lawmakers of the two countries.

The Group, the formation of which was announced in Washington yesterday, will have Jim McDdermott (Democrat) and Murli Deora (Congress).

The first formal meeting of the group, after its establishment, will be held in New Delhi early next year and a second meeting will be scheduled here for next summer.

McDermott and Deora, in a joint statement, hoped that more than two dozen legislators would be members of the group by the time the first meeting was held in New Delhi.

The Indian delegation led by Deora, comprised T Satpathy (Biju Janata Dal), K S Rao and B Kalita (both Congress party). Besides McDermott, the other members of the US delegation were Gary Ackerman and David Price.

Deora said the best way for India and the United States to advance trade and diplomatic relations was through an extended dialogue between the decision-makers who were directly elected by the people.

''India's relations with the United States is much better than a decade ago, but to realise our potential and to overcome our differences, we must make lawmakers of both capitals to work together,'' he added.

Deora said, ''As more of my colleagues in Delhi work with members of congress in Washington, I am certain we will resolve our problems and bring our relationship to a new and higher level of friendship.''

UNI

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