Modi in America.

Modi wows America, puts Indo-US back on rail; nothing on N-deal

Lashkar, Jaish, Haqqani, D-Company in US list of Pak-based terror groups

Arun Kumar | Washington | 1 October, 2014 | 09:10 PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrapped up what he himself called a "hugely successful journey" to the US, winning over everyone, from President Barack Obama down to hard-selling India to big business and wowing Indian-Americans.

If star-struck Indian-Americans, a community that numbers about three million and many of whom who played a big role in his “historic election victory”, gave him an unparalleled rock star like reception, the US establishment treated him no less with Obama himself joining Modi on an unscheduled trip to the memorial of African-American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

In a joint vision statement and a joint op-ed in the Washington Post, something again unprecedented, Modi and Obama vowed to “chalein saath saath – together we go forward” with a new agenda to realise the full potential of a renewed US-India partnership for the 21st century.

Never once was mentioned the denial of a US visa to Modi for nearly a decade nor a major diplomatic row over the December arrest and strip search of an Indian diplomat that had virtually stalled India-US relationship.

A US-India joint statement issued after Tuesday’s summit at the White House that lasted nearly two hours listed what some critics called a ‘laundry list’ of things they can do together in fields ranging from health and education to space exploration. But the real significance of the trip lay in the fact that it put the India-US partnership back on the rails. And, more importantly, Modi secured a commitment from Obama to make joint and concerted efforts to dismantle terrorist safe havens.

The statement specifically mentioned four Pakistan-based groups – Lashkar-e Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, the D-Company, and the Haqqanis besides Al Qaeda – and also reiterated their call for Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the November 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack to justice.

Shortly after the statement, the US treasury targeted two Pakistan-based terrorist organisations and froze the assets of their leaders for providing financial support to Lashkar-e -Taeba (LeT) held responsible for the Mumbai attacks.

Not unexpectedly, India and US failed to reach a breakthrough on their landmark civil nuclear deal stalled over India’s tough liability laws. But, as Modi said after the summit with Obama sitting by his side “we are serious about resolution of issues on both sides to enable civilian nuclear energy cooperation to take off. It is important for India’s energy security.”

Reaffirming their commitment to implement fully the nuclear deal, they “established a Contact Group on advancing the implementation of civil nuclear energy cooperation.”

It would discuss all implementation issues, including liability, technical issues, and licensing to facilitate the establishment of nuclear parks, including power plants with Westinghouse and GE-Hitachi technology.

The statement said Modi “emphasized the priority India accords to its partnership with the United States, a principal partner in the realization of India’s rise as a responsible, influential world power.”

And “given the shared values, people-to-people ties, and pluralistic traditions, President Obama recognized that India’s rise as a friend and partner is in the United States” it said.

Noting that two-way trade has increased fivefold since 2001 to nearly $100 billion, the two leaders committed to facilitate the actions necessary to increase trade another fivefold.

The proposed steps include establishing an Indo-US Investment Initiative an Infrastructure Collaboration Platform.

India will welcome two trade missions in 2015 focused on meeting India’s infrastructure needs with US technology and services.

Modi ended his action packed journey, throughout which he has been hardselling India to US business, with an address to the US-India Business Council comprising 310 top US companies doing business with India.

Promising to replace bureaucratic red tape with a red carpet, he invited them to come to India and make in India saying “This is a win-win situation.”
Hard selling India with assurances of a business-friendly environment and a stable and simpler tax regime, Narendra Modi invited top US business to come and invest in India.

Addressing the US-India Business Council comprising 300 top US companies doing business with India here Tuesday, he promised to replace bureaucratic red tape with a red carpet.

The role of the government should be that of a facilitator, Modi said wrapping up his five day trip to the US all through which he has made a strong pitch for investment in India with a promise of extensive use of technology better infrastructure and labour reforms.

He invited US business leaders to come to India and join the “Make in India” campaign saying it’s a win-win situation as India is moving ahead with great speed.

Since coming to office four months ago, Modi said his government had cleared a record number of foreign investments though admittedly it had not been possible to make a great many changes in such a short span.

Before coming to Washington Monday, Modi had breakfast meetings in New York with 11 CEOs, including those of Google, Citigroup and Pepsico.

It was followed by one-on-one meetings with six other CEOs of companies like Boeing, IBM, GE and Goldman Sachs.

There too he had made the same pitch: India is open-minded and wants change. “We want change, but a change that is not one sided” and he is discussing with citizens, industrialists and investors how to go about it.

USIBC’s Indian-American chairman Ajay Banga, who is also the CEO of MasterCard, expressing confidence that India-US trade can grow five fold from the current $100 billion in five years said: “The best days of US-India relations are coming.”

In a significant development, India and the US have committed to make joint and concerted efforts to dismantle terrorist safe havens, including four Pakistan-based groups Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, the D-Company, and the Haqqani network, besides the Al Qaeda.

A joint statement issued Tuesday after the first bilateral summit between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama also reiterated their call for Pakistan to bring the perpetrators of the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai to justice.

Asked if this meant increased US support for bringing Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, who still roams free in Pakistan despite a $10-million US bounty for his conviction, external affairs ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin said: “Akalmand ko ishaara kafi hai (the wise can interpret the signal).”

Obama and Modi also “reaffirmed their deep concern over the continued threat posed by terrorism, most recently highlighted by the dangers represented by the ISIL (now known as Islamic State or IS), and underlined the need for continued comprehensive global efforts to combat and defeat terrorism,” the statement said.

Officials, however, made it clear that India was not joining the US-assembled coalition against the IS terrorists.

The leaders also “pledged to enhance criminal law enforcement, security, and military information exchanges, and strengthen cooperation on extradition and mutual legal assistance,” the statement said.

Through operational cooperation by their law enforcement agencies, India and the US aimed to prevent the spread of counterfeit currency and inhibit the use of cyberspace by terrorists, criminals, and those who use the internet for unlawful purposes, and to facilitate investigation of criminal and terrorist activities, it said.

The leaders also committed to identify modalities to exchange terrorist watch lists and “President Obama pledged to help India counter the threat of improvised explosive devices with information and technology”, the statement said.

Obama and Modi also committed to pursue provisions of US-made mine-resistant ambush-protected vehicles to India. (IANS)