Clinton eyes defence pact to boost arms trade with India
18 Jul 2009
The United States and India will expand the areas of cooperation and finalise a defence agreement necessary for allowing US companies to sell sophisticated arms to India, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said today.
The top Obama administration official said Washington intends to deepen and strengthen the strategic partnership with New Delhi.
"We are working very hard to finalise a number of agreements. I am optimistic that we will get such agreements resolved and announced," Clinton told reporters in Mumbai.
She said such an agreement is necessary for US companies such as Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co to bid for India's proposed tender for acquiring 126 multi-role fighters - one of the largest arms deals in the world.
Lockheed and Boeing are competing with Russia's MiG-35, France's Dassault Rafale, Sweden's Saab KAS-39 Gripen and the Eurofighter Typhoon consortium for the deal, worth an estimated $10.4 billion.
Clinton is also looking at finalising agreements around the civilian nuclear pact signed last year, so as to make availble at least two sights where US companies get exclusive rights to build nuclear power plants.