Jan. 14: The US, which imposed curbs on trade with defence entities like Indian Space Research Organisation and Defence Research and Development Organisation, following India’s nuclear tests in 1998, has set in motion regulatory changes to lift the ban soon, thus fulfilling a commitment made by the President, Mr Barack Obama.
A formal notification to lift the ban by the US department of commerce for this purpose is in an advanced stage, top US officials said. “These regulatory changes will begin the transformation of the bilateral export control policies to realise the full potential of the strategic partnership between our two countries,” said Mr Eric Hirschhorn, under secretary for industry and security, US department of commerce.
But he did not give any timeline for the removal of restrictions, which is eagerly awaited by India. However, the official sources said a formal notification in this regard could well be issued before the scheduled India visit of the commerce secretary, Mr Gary Locke, from February 6-11.
“The department of commerce is working quickly to publish a regulation that will remove Indian space and defence-related entities from the Entity List and enact other India-specific export control changes,” a senior US official said.
They clarified these notifications would be India specific. “We have a separate track on these issues in partnership with India,” a top official said.