US, India high-technology meet Monday

Washington, March 10 (IANS) Top US and Indian business executives will meet here Monday to address critical issues affecting US-India High Technology Cooperation in areas like defence/strategic trade, civil nuclear cooperation, biotechnology, nano-technology and civil aviation.

The private sector business interactions hosted by the US-India Business Council (USIBC) are expected to inform the official level bilateral discussions at a meeting of the US-India High Technology Cooperation Group (HTCG) Tuesday.

Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao will address the business-to-business session convened by the USIBC in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Rao and US Deputy Secretary of Commerce Dennis F. Hightower will co-chair HTCG meeting, the first meeting of the group since President Barack Obama took office.

The Keynote Address at the business session will be given by Michael Froman, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs and Development.

HTCG was conceived in November 2001 with a joint statement by then President George W. Bush and then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who affirmed their commitment to transform and deepen US-India relations.

Both countries agreed to take cooperative steps to create the requisite political, economic, and legal structures for successful high-technology commerce.

Apart from meetings in the Commerce Department, Rao will also be meeting senior members of the US Administration as well as the US Congress during her five-day stay in Washington.