Mumbai: India and US are collaborating on
counter-terrorism and global security and an FBI agent
testifying in a court of law in India is an indication of the
cooperation between the two countries, a senior US diplomat
said today.
"How many of us would have thought that an FBI agent
testifying in a court of law in India would have been possible
10 years ago?" US Consul General Paul Folmsbee told reporters
at a media meet organised by the Press Club here.
"India and US are collaborating on counter-terrorism and
global security," he said.
Folmsbee declined to comment in US terror suspect David
Headley, saying the case is under investigation.
On the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, Folmsbee said, "The
reprocessing agreement is on track...there is hardly anything
left to do with the governments. There is enough room for
companies involved to get started." October 2010 should be
the deadline for implementing the deal, he said.
On India's signing CTBT and NPT, Folmsbee said, "We are
interested in the issue and have agreed to work with India.
Right now, it is one of the several issues."
The number of Indian students in US is increasing and
media reports of a drop in numbers are not true, he said.
On complaints by members of the improvements
committee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC),
about denial of access to the American Center in south Mumbai,
he said it was a case of 'bizarre misunderstanding.'
"This is a bizarre and unfortunate misunderstanding.
The American Center is open to all," Folsmbee told reporters.
"I met the municipal commissioner two days ago and the
issue of access (to the Center) never came up," he said.
BMC owns the 1,338 sq m plot on which the Center is
located and some corporators have complained that they are
being denied access.
Taking a strong objection to the 'denial of access',
committee members have shot-off letters to the civic
administration asking the BMC to consider the lease agreement
for the plot.
Situated at Sir Vitthaldas Thackersey Marg, the plot
was originally leased to Parsi businessman Hormusji Batliwala
for a 99-year period in 1901. The lease was later transferred
in the name of the secretary of state of United States of
America.
The old lease agreement expired on December 4, 2000. A
renewal has since been pending. A proposal for entering into a
new agreement with the American Center was recently tabled
before the improvements committee. The civic administration
had agreed to renew the lease for another 30 years.
-PTI
First Published: Thursday, December 17, 2009, 00:39