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Clinton plans to let sanctions drag

United States President Bill Clinton has virtually ruled out an early lifting of the economic sanctions imposed on India.

In a letter to Democratic Congressman Frank Pallone, he said Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott had attempted a ''roadmap'' for improved US-India relations based on incremental easing of sanctions in response to incremental non-proliferation steps.

But the president indicated that for the ''roadmap'' strategy to work, ''It is imperative that we not lift the sanctions prematurely.''

He said the recent US decision not to vote against the World Bank loan to India -- previously opposed it - was in response to India's commitment to strive to develop a political consensus to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

The president's reply was in response to Pallone's letter of February 4, which urged the lifting of sanctions concerning the World Bank and other international financial institutions.

Later, Pallone said he appreciated the president's willingness to seek ways to ease the sanctions.

He, however, added, ''I still feel that the carrot-and-stick approach represented by selected enforcement or easing of the sanctions is the wrong way to go, and only serves to maintain hard feelings on both sides. I also question the efficacy of denying important scientific exchanges between our two countries."

He said he wanted to keep working with the administration on these issues. ''(But) I will also continue to criticise policies that are not helpful.''

Pallone urged the Congressional Budget Authority to use the fiscal year 2000 Foreign Operations Legislation as a vehicle for ending the remaining nuclear-related economic sanctions on India.

UNI

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