By IANS,
New Delhi: US ambassador Timothy J. Roemer Wednesday allayed apprehensions in India over the defence equipment end-use monitoring pact, saying there is nothing in it that provides the US unilateral access to Indian bases.
“There is nothing here that says the US can get unilteral access,” the envoy said.
“This is an agreement that we enter with all our allies,” he added.
The end-use pact has been attacked by the opposition parties in India for allegedly compromising the country’s sovereignty by giving the US the right of access to Indian defence bases.
Defending the pact, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told parliament last month: “Nothing in the text that has been agreed to compromises India’s sovereignty. There is no provision for any unilateral action by the US side with regard to inspection or related matters.”
The End-Use Monitoring Agreement (EUMA) would allow American inspectors to track the end use of US-origin high tech equipment of dual use sold to India.
The agreement, mandatory under a US law to sell sophisticated arms to other countries, sets the pitch for top US armament manufacturers to bid for India’s tender for purchasing 126 multi-role fighters.