US raises N-liability issue,India visa fee

India conveyed its concerns to the US on issues such as the H1B visa fee hike.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton raised the issue of Indias civil nuclear liability legislation with External Affairs Minister S M Krishna in the wake of concerns by American business to some provisions.

India,on the other hand,conveyed its concerns to the US on issues such as the H1B visa fee hike,export control restrictions and outsourcing ban. The issues came up during her 30-minute meeting with Krishna here on Tuesday,aimed at laying the groundwork for President Barack Obamas visit to India in November.

The (nuclear) issue was raised with Minister Krishna on Tuesday and he explained about the processes that the bill had gone through, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao told journalists after the meeting. Rao is accompanying the Minister.

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The liability legislation,recently passed by Parliament,has been troubling several American industrialists since it makes suppliers of equipment liable in the event of a nuclear accident.

Clinton and Krishna met at the Waldorf Astoria on the sidelines of the opening session of the UN General Assembly,which kicked off last week. Rao had also discussed the nuclear liability issue with Clinton last week in Washington.

The US administration understands the process, Rao said. Secretary Clinton spoke of their own processes within the country and their often contentious nature of democracy,which is a fact that we all appreciate, she said.

On the outsourcing ban,Rao said: Our concerns have been raised and we have spoken our views about the risks inherent in protectionist trends that often detract from the positive impulses of cooperation in trade and economic interaction between the two countries, Rao said.

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I think that was also understood by the US administration in our discussions and they were agreeable to the fact that we need to discuss these issues and try to resolve them, she said.

Assistant Secretary Robert Blake underlined that the liability issues are an important priority for the US.

Weve taken note of some of the concerns that industry representatives have raised about some of the provisions of the bill and that the bill may be inconsistent with international standards, Blake said after the meeting.

US aid to Pakistan a concern: AntonyNew Delhi
Defence Minister A K Antony,who met Hillary Clinton and National Security Advisor Gen James Jones,raised Indias concern over continued arms supplies by Washington to Pakistan. He also asked the US to remove Indian laboratories from the ‘entity list’ that denies them access to dual use technologies. He raised concerns over the denial of export licences to defence public sector units.