Prime Minister Narendra Modi shakes hands with US President Barack Obama in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. AP
Joint effort against terror, criminal havens; trade facilitation pact discussed
Furthering Indo-US cooperation on terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama on Tuesday agreed to make “joint and concerted efforts” to dismantle safe havens for terror and criminal networks like LeT, JeM, D-Company, Al Qaeda and the Haqqani network.
In their first summit meeting, spread over two hours at the White House, the two leaders also agreed that the two countries will take steps to disrupt financial and tactical support to these terror outfits. Mr Modi and Mr Obama pledged to push the bilateral relationship to “new levels”, resolve issues blocking implementation of the civil nuclear deal and cooperate in counter-terrorism.
During their discussions, which covered a broad range of issues, including economic cooperation, trade and investment, Mr Modi raised the demand for easier access for Indian firms in the US services sector. The Prime Minister also told President Obama he hoped for an agreement “soon” to free up a major global trade facilitation agreement, blocked by New Delhi over concerns its food subsidies to the poor could face legal challenges.
Mr Modi invited Mr Obama to visit India at a convenient time and the invitation has been accepted by the White House. “I look forward to receiving President Obama and his family in India at a convenient time,” Mr Modi said in a joint press statement inside the Oval Office of the White House. The details of the visit would be chalked out at a mutually convenient time. If Mr Obama visits India during the remainder of his tenure he would be the first US President to visit India twice. The first time was in November 2010.
Mr Modi also struck a cosmic note, noting that space probes from the US and India had both recently reached Mars. “After the US-India summit on Mars, we are meeting here on Earth. This happy co-incidence captures the potential of our relationship,” Mr Modi said. He also revealed that he and Mr Obama had a “candid” discussion on the Trade Facilitation Agreement. “India supports trade facilitation. However, I also expect that we are able to find a solution that takes care of our concern on food security,” Mr Modi said, adding, “I believe that it should be possible to do that soon.”
Stockpiling and subsidies for the poor are considered trade-distorting under existing WTO rules. All 160 WTO members, including India, agreed to implement the TFA which would mark the first big global trade liberalisation deal in two decades in 2013. India’s move to hold up the deal in July surprised fellow WTO members.
After the two countries reached an agreement on extending their defence cooperation for 10 more years, the Prime Minister invited American companies to participate in the Indian defence manufacturing sector to help in its development. India has recently raised the foreign investment cap in the defence sector from 26 to 49 per cent.
The discussions, the first formal meeting between the two leaders spread over delegation and restricted levels, covered terrorism in South Asia and emerging threats in West Asia. President Obama noted they also spoke about the need for “maritime” rules to be observed — an apparent reference to China’s territorial disputes with a host of Asian nations.
At a joint media appearance with President Obama, Prime Minister Modi expressed the hope that India-US relations would make fast progress. “Both of us are committed (to) taking forward the civil nuclear partnership agreement. We are serious about resolving at the earliest issues relating to civil nuclear energy cooperation. This is important for India for meeting energy security needs,” Mr Modi said. The Indo-US nuclear deal concluded between the previous Manmohan Singh government and the Bush administration has been stalled because of issues relating to liability laws. At the same time, Mr Modi said he had requested Mr Obama to “take such steps which would ensure easier access to Indian companies in the service sector in the US market”. In the defence sector, the Prime Minister said, both sides decided to take forward the dialogue in security and defence.
Sharing concerns over the threat of terrorism in South Asia and emerging challenges in West Asia, where Islamist group ISIS has been on the rampage, Mr Modi said the two countries agreed to intensify cooperation in counter-terrorism and intelligence-sharing. President Obama said India was emerging as a major power for peace and security in the region.
“I am looking forward to building up on relationship and make more progress,” the Prime Minister said. The US President said the two leaders discussed various issues, including trade and economic cooperation, cooperate in exploration of space and scientific developments, especially to deal with challenges like Ebola.