People's Democracy

 On Indo-US Joint Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued the following statement on July 21, 2009.

THE Indo-US joint statement issued after the visit of US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, seeks to deepen the strategic alliance between the two countries. Despite the high sounding phrases about transforming the relationship to �enhance global prosperity and stability in the 21st century,� the contents and the agreements arrived at raise questions whether they are in the interests of India. 

The Indian foreign minister announced that both sides have reached agreement on the End Use Monitoring for US defence equipment. Such an arrangement will facilitate on-site inspection of military equipment supplied by the United States. The growing military collaboration with India is the key US interest. It wants India to buy billions of dollars of military equipment. The assistant secretary of state, Philip J Crowley, had told the press on the eve of the visit of Ms Clinton that the End Use Monitoring agreement �is part of the fulfillment of an important initiative that India and the US have signed in the area of nuclear cooperation.�

The CPI(M) has always maintained that the nuclear deal is a quid pro quo for India becoming a military ally of the United States. The End Use Monitoring arrangement will further bind the Indian armed forces to the Pentagon.

On the Indo-US nuclear deal, despite the disclaimer by the secretary of state, the United States is moving to deny India access to enrichment and reprocessing technology. This is what the recent G-8 decision amounts to. Further, India has yet to reach an agreement with the United States for reprocessing spent fuel supplied by the US. The Manmohan Singh government had earlier committed to buy 10,000 megawatts of US nuclear reactors. The United States wants to bring the nuclear deal within the global non-proliferation architecture.   The CPI(M) reiterates that India should not enter into any commercial agreement to buy US nuclear reactors till all these matters are cleared up.

The joint statement underlines that US business interests will have priority in Indian policy making. This is going to be formalised with the bilateral investment treaty and the pursuit of the Indo-US Joint CEO Forum. The Manmohan Singh government will be pushing for more FDI in insurance, banking, higher education and other sectors in line with these lobbying forums. 

It is obvious that the US secretary of state has pressed India to adopt a hostile stand towards Iran. With the gas pipeline deal with Iran shelved, the US wants India to take further steps to isolate Iran. Such pressures should be resisted. On the Doha round of talks on WTO, India cannot accept the pressure to give up its stand on agriculture and investment related matters.  There should be no giving into the US demand on climate change talks which requires India to cut carbon emissions without serious steps being taken by the developed countries to do so. 

By reiterating the earlier Bush-Manmohan Singh commitment to promote �democracy� on a global scale, the Congress-led government has shown itself willing to go along with this ideological enterprise of the United States. 

The CPI(M) expresses its strong opposition to the growing strategic entanglement with the United States that has become the hallmark of the UPA government's foreign policy. It appeals to the people to oppose the policy measures that will be taken to cement this one-sided relationship.