US State Dept advisory committee holds rare meeting on India

Signifying the changing focus of the Obama Administration towards India, a key advisory committee of the State Department on international economic policy held a rare meeting on Indo-US economic relationship.

Signifying the changing focus of the Obama Administration towards India, a key advisory committee of the State Department on international economic policy held a rare meeting on Indo-US economic relationship.

HT Image

"It is possibly for the first time that the committee held a discussion on India-US economic relationship. This was done at the request of the State Department," chairman of the committee Ted Kassinger told PTI after the meeting.

The Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy meets four times a year.

"There were comments from a number of committee members, some on intellectual property rights and in

government procurement areas there was concern expressed about off set. There was a lot of interest in support of idea of developing cooperation in environmental technology," he said.

Members of the committee were earlier briefed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia

Michael Owen on Indo-US economic relationship. There was a lot of support to renew efforts to get the Doha round moving forward, Kassinger said.

Members also discussed about issues revolving climate change and what India's role would be at the upcoming

Copenhagen Summit later this year. "There is hope that there would be progress," he said.