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Bush visits indias high tech hub { March 3 2006 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/03/03/bush.india.fri/http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/03/03/bush.india.fri/
Friday, March 3, 2006 Posted: 1004 GMT (1804 HKT)
Bush visits India's high-tech hub
Pact sends inspectors, U.S. expertise to India's nuclear programs
NEW DELHI, India (CNN) -- U.S. President George W. Bush has arrived in the high-tech hub of Hyderabad, one day after signing a landmark nuclear power pact with India and agreeing to boost arms sales.
Washington on Thursday said India will be able to buy more sophisticated fighter aircraft and other high-tech arms from the United States, including F-16s and F-18s.
The decision came after the United States and India signed a groundbreaking nuclear pact during a visit to New Delhi by the U.S. leader, who described it on Friday as a "way to put the Cold War behind us."
Under the deal reached by Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the United States agrees to send nuclear fuel and expertise to India in exchange for New Delhi opening up its civilian nuclear reactors to international inspectors.
The arms decision will be viewed with interest by India's regional rival Pakistan, which Bush will visit briefly on Saturday.
India was disappointed by a U.S. decision nearly 12 months ago to sell F-16s to Pakistan, a key U.S. ally in its war on terror.
Bush arrived in one of India's premier technology cities, Hyderabad, on Friday as its large Muslim population shut down markets and businesses in the old quarters in protest over his visit.
He visited to get a first-hand look at India's high-tech hub and to tour an agricultural university to get a glimpse of the region's rural area.
The protests reflect India's mixed feelings about the United States -- a country seen as a loyal friend by some and a global bully by others.
On Wednesday, nearly 150,000 protesters, most of them Muslims, demonstrated in New Delhi.
However, only a few thousand protesters took part in Thursday's demonstrations -- made up of a mix of social and environmental groups.
"Bush is a killer," one sign read.
Local police in Mumbai said at least 65,000 anti-Bush protesters rallied there Thursday. Protesters burned effigies and shouted slogans.
Under the nuclear deal announced Thursday, India pledges to open up its 14 civilian nuclear reactors to international inspectors and keep power generation separate from its military program.
Military sites
But India -- which first tested its nuclear weapons nearly eight years ago -- will keep eight sites for secret military purposes under the terms of the deal, reached after intense negotiation.
Some details of the deal were not released. The U.S. Congress must approve the terms before any action can be taken.
Bush said India and the United States were developing closer ties and that expanding India's nuclear power capacity would ease pressure on fossil fuels and the U.S. economy. (Watch for details on the last-minute deal -- 2:17)
India has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty designed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons to non-nuclear nations, and critics say the India deal could undermine the international pact.
But Bush, who is in India to build relations, said he would lobby Congress to approve the deal, which faces opposition in both countries. (President's trip in pictures)
"I am confident we can sell this to our Congress as in the interests of the United States," said Bush, who is trying to reduce U.S. dependence on fossil fuels.
A richer India also could be a larger market for U.S. goods and Bush is anxious to help.
India's economy is booming and needs more power to fuel its economy.
The nuclear issue became the biggest single irritant in U.S.-India relations after the 1998 India nuclear tests triggered fears of a nuclear arms race when New Delhi's neighbor and traditional foe, Pakistan, conducted its own nuclear tests days later.
India and the United States now say the nuclear pact is the centerpiece of what they call a "strategic partnership."
Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer called the pact "a good step forward in what's been a difficult situation" in an interview on the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
But he added the plan won't change Australia's policy of only exporting uranium to countries that are non-proliferation treaty signatories.
"We were obviously very upset when India decided to develop nuclear weapons and tested nuclear weapons, as we were with Pakistan," Downer said.
Many Indian scientists and others in the nuclear establishment fear the deal will erode the military ambitions of the world's second most populous country.
Bush: Killers won't stop me
Despite the potential political fallout from the deal, both sides have much to gain, one analyst said.
"The essence of this strategic partnership is to provide a countervailing influence to China ... to act as a restraint on the exercise of Chinese power," security analyst Brahma Chellaney said.
Beijing was quick to respond Thursday.
Any pact "must meet the requirements and provisions of the nuclear nonproliferation regime and the obligations undertaken by all countries concerned," The Associated Press quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang as saying.
While Bush was in India, blasts killed at least four people, including an American diplomat, near the U.S. Consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi, police said. (Full story)
Bush is set to travel to Pakistan on Saturday. On Thursday, Bush underscored his support for that country, a key U.S. ally in the fight against terrorism. (See the Bush itinerary)
"Terrorists and killers are not going to prevent me from going to Pakistan," Bush said of the next country to be visited on his South Asian tour.
CNN's Satinder Bindra and Ram Ramgopal contributed to this report.
Copyright 2006 CNN. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Associated Press contributed to this report.
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