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Sanctions not pragmatic, says Sangma

Former Lok Sabha speaker Purno A Sangma today felt it was not pragmatic on the part of some European Union countries to impose economic sanctions against India in the aftermath of Pokhran nuclear tests.

''Even while there have been differences of opinion within India as regards Pokhran-II, economic sanctions following the nuclear explosions have been looked upon as coercive,'' Sangma said while releasing a book India and the European Union into the 21st Century, edited by Professor H S Chopra, a former professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University.

''In the matter of sanctions, the response of individual EU countries was not uniform. While the United Kingdom, France and Germany did not consider sanctions to be either appropriate or effective, Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands responded by either freezing or cancelling aid,'' he said. And added: ''Pragmatism, in any case, should be the driving force in my opinion of India-EU co-operation.''

Considering India as central to the scope of EU's ''new Asian strategy'', oriented to strengthening political relations apart from the forces of peace, liberalisation and trade in all dimensions besides promotion of sustainable development, the former speaker said, ''Pragmatism would need to be displayed by EU as an institution and the member-states.... India as an EU partner and a global player cannot be exempted from this pragmatism.''

Stressing on the mutuality of interests between India and the EU, Sangma said New Delhi's approach had all along been one of significant pragmatism. He cited the agreement of India last year in the World Trade Organisation to phase out over a six-year time-frame quantitative restrictions on certain import products.

''This agreement was based on a clear understanding that market access is a two-track phenomenon, that expansion of exports can take place only with expansion of imports,'' he said. The EU on its part, he said, relented on its rigidities in the WTO vis-a-vis the social clause which had implications for textile exports from India in the context of involvement of child labour.

He called upon the Indian business community to understand European consumer preferences including on quality and designs and price competitiveness and go in for technology induction. He also urged private sector participation in the infrastructure development.

UNI