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Despite turmoil, US commerce secretary will visit India

Ignoring the collapse of the Inder Kumar Gujral ministry, United States Commerce Secretary William M Daley will be in New Delhi on December 6 at the head of a 32-member business development mission to ''reaffirm the United States' commitment to strong ties with India'' at this critical juncture.

Addressing a press conference in Washington on December 4, the eve of his departure for India, Daley said it was an ''important '' week-long visit which take him to Calcutta, Bombay and Madras. The exercise was aimed at strengthening commercial ties with India, he added.

''Besides, President Bill Clinton wants to make it clear that our relationship with India is extremely important when the time is good and when the time is not so good,'' he said in justification of his decision to go ahead with the scheduled India tour despite the political crisis.

Daley said the US was confident that India, given its commitment to democracy, would overcome its political problems and emerge as one of the major global economic powers in the 21st century.

He, however, said the fact that this was ''the third collapse of an Indian government in two years can't be denied and it does present a challenge if you're an American investor.'' He that Clinton had included India among the emerging markets which, by definition, "don't guarantee a smooth ride."

At an earlier speech on India-US relations at the Council of Foreign Relations, Daley had said, "We can't give up on India and other developing countries during times of political or economic stress. Rather, we must step up our engagement, to help promote stability and enhance our own strategic interest.''

''From his first days in office, President Clinton has tried to usher in a new era of cooperation between the US and India and reverse a history of false starts and misunderstandings in our bilateral relationship,'' Daley added.

India's ambassador to the US Naresh Chandra also met Daley on December 4 during which the latter said he was keenly looking forward to his India visit. There were important commercial and economic policy matters to discuss with the Indian leadership, he added.

Daley dismissed misgiving about the timing of the visit, insisting that ''commercial engagement with India had a high priority: the bottom line is engagement with India and the visit has strong commercial focus.''

Reviewing the programme of Daley in India, during which he will meet the chief ministers of West Bengal, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, the ambassador pointed to the decentralisation process of policy-making that had of the been taking place in India.

The secretary said ''dramatic geopolitical changes in recent years had offered the chance for a new beginning a chance which Clinton has seized aggressively. He has made our relationship with India a high priority putting India at the centre of our national export policy.''

Several US cabinet and subcabinet officials have visited India throughout his administration. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright travelled there last month and President Clinton has plans for a trip early next year.

Daley said he would introduce American business leaders to the lucrative opportunities in India and advocate aggressively on their behalf.

Daley said his department wanted to expand its presence in India by establishing business offices in Ahmedabad, Pune and Hyderabad. It has such offices in India's five major cities.

During his discussions with India leaders, he would make clear to them that the scope of US trade and investment depended on their continued commitment to reforms based on deregulation, liberalisation and open markets.

"We will encourage broader protection and enforcement of intellectual property rights. We will seek to lower tariffs which restrict our access to the Indian market. We will work to open the Indian insurance market and create a better climate for foreign banks and financial services companies operating in India,'' he added.

Daley said the bulk of the delegation, accompanying him, represented small- and medium-sized companies. Clinton was committed to helping these companies become more active in global market and his mission was part of that effort, he added.

Some 13 Indian-American businessmen are also in the delegation. ''They will be the ones to show the way as we work towards stronger US-India commercial ties in the years to come,'' he added.

"As India closes its first half century of Independence and embarks on another, its time to put the era of missed opportunities behind us. Let's make the next 50 years an era of seized opportunities, where the US and India turn shared values and shared history into shared rewards and shared prosperity,'' he declared.

UNI