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Lifting of Sanctions "Expected" Development: Indian FM
Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh on Sunday welcomed the United States' decision to waive sanctions imposed on New Delhi in the wake of its nuclear tests in 1998, but said it was an "expected" development.
"It is a development which was expected," Singh, also India's defense minister, was quoted as saying here by the Press Trust of India (PTI).
"As far as news (of lifting the sanctions) is concerned it is welcome news," he added when asked about India's response to the U. S. decision.
Singh noted that New Delhi was awaiting details of the formal announcement made by the U.S. earlier on Sunday.
The lifting of sanctions will help intensify India-U.S. efforts to build a more broad-based, forward-looking and mutually beneficial relationship, an Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying on Sunday.
The U.S. sanctions imposed in 1998 on India were economic, military and restrictions on dual-use technology. Some of them had been removed by former U.S. President Bill Clinton, while some others like the lending by international financial institutions or foreign military sale or transfer of dual use technology still remained.
"So we take it that these remaining restrictions have now been removed as a result of the Presidential waiver," India's Ambassador to the U.S. Lalit Mansingh was quoted as saying.
However, India seems to be expecting that the lifting of the sanctions also includes the end of a ban on transfer of high technology, which was imposed before India's Pokharan nuclear tests in 1998.
Convener of India's ruling coalition National Democratic Alliance and former Defense Minister George Fernandes was quoted by the PTI as saying on Sunday that lifting of sanctions by the U. S. would not benefit India much unless restrictions imposed on the transfer of high technology were also withdrawn.
The United States had not done India any great favor "if it has only lifted the post-Pokharan sanctions", Fernandes told reporters in the northern city of Lucknow.
"If restrictions on the transfer of technology, exchange of scientific know-how and items of dual use have not been removed lifting of sanctions does not mean much for us," he added.
India's Opposition leader the Congress Party also said on Sunday that lifting of U.S. sanctions would make no difference to India, for the sanctions had been proving counter-productive for Washington for a long time.
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