ASSEMBLY POLL '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ELECTIONS '98
ARCHIVES

India merits permanent membership of Security Council, Pallone tells US House

Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone has raised in the US House of Representatives India's claim to a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council with a hope that the United States would ultimately come in support of this goal.

He supported India's demand on the basis of its size, population and long-term record of democratic stability.

In a statement made in the house for inclusion in the congressional record ''in honour of India's Republic Day,'' Pallone said, ''There is a growing need for India and the United States, the two largest democracies of the world, to come closer and work together on a wide variety of initiatives.''

The statement, made on Tuesday and copies of which were released last night, note that ''India and the US do not always agree on every issue, as we saw in 1998 (at the time of India's nuclear tests).''

He, however, expressed regret at the ''scant coverage'' that India received in the US media and ''even from our top policy maker who tends to focus only on the disagreements. In fact, our national interests coincide on many of the most important concerns, such as fighting the scourge of international terrorism and controlling the transfer of nuclear and other weapons technology to unstable regimes.''

''I believe that India's vast middle class represents a significant and growing market for US trade, while the country's infrastructure needs represent a tremendous opportunity for many American firms, large, small and mid-size,'' Pallone added.

He drew attention to the relaxation in the US sanctions imposed at the time of India's nuclear tests in May last and said, ''I believe we should continue to work to preserve or restart economic relations that have developed during this decade of major change, while creating a positive atmosphere for new economic relations.''

At the same time, he hoped that ''we can continue to build upon educational, cultural and other people-to-people ties that have developed between our two countries.''

He said he looked forward to seeing the Indian-American community, more than one million strong, continue to serve as a human ''bridge'' between our two countries.

Congratulating the people of India on Republic Day, he said, ''I hope that 1999 will witness a US-India relationship that lives up to the great potential offered by our shared commitment to democracy.''

Pallone said he was proud that the US Congress had approved legislation which had been signed by President Clinton, authorising the Government of India to install statue of Mahatma Gandhi in a park opposite the Indian embassy in Washington DC. The proposed memorial would no doubt be most fitting addition to the landscape of our nation's capital, he added.

Addressing the speaker, he said, ''I rise today to pay tribute to one of the most important dates on the calendar for the people of India, as well as for the people of Indian descent who have settled in the US and around the world. January 26th is republic day, an occasion that inspires pride and patriotism for the people of India.''

''Since then, despite the challenges of sustaining economic development while reconciling her many ethnic, religious and linguistic communities, India has stuck to the path of free and fair elections, a multi-party political system and the orderly transfer of power from one government to its successor,'' he added.

He wanted the house to note a rich tradition of shared values that existed between the United States and India. The Indian independence movement had strong moral support from American intellectuals, political leaders and journalists. ''Just yesterday, we paid tribute to one of our greatest American leaders, Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr King derived many of his ideas of non-violent resistance to injustice from the teachings and the actions of Mahatma Gandhi,'' he added.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report