[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[House]
[Pages 17782-17784]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



         SENSE OF HOUSE REGARDING UNITED STATES-INDIA RELATIONS

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 572) expressing the sense of the House of 
Representatives that it is in the interest of both the United States 
and the Republic of India to expand and strengthen United States-India 
relations, intensify bilateral cooperation in the fight against 
terrorism, and broaden the ongoing dialogue between the United States 
and India, of which the upcoming visit to the United States of the 
Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is a significant step.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                              H. Res. 572

       Whereas the United States and the Republic of India are two 
     of the world's largest democracies that together represent 
     one-fifth of the world's population and more than one-fourth 
     of the world's economy;
       Whereas the United States and India share common ideals and 
     a vision for the 21st century, where freedom and democracy 
     are the strongest foundations for peace and prosperity;
       Whereas in keeping with this vision India has given refuge 
     to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Burmese refugees fleeing 
     repression in Burma, and is a refuge for people in the region 
     struggling for their basic human rights;
       Whereas the United States and India are partners in peace 
     with common interests in and complementary responsibility for 
     ensuring international security and regional peace and 
     stability;
       Whereas the United States and India are allies in the cause 
     of democracy, sharing our experience in nurturing and 
     strengthening democratic institutions throughout the world 
     and fighting the challenge to democratic order from forces 
     such as terrorism;
       Whereas the growing partnership between the United States 
     and India is reinforced by the ties of scholarship, commerce, 
     and increasingly of kinship among our people;
       Whereas the industry, enterprise, and cultural 
     contributions of Americans of Indian heritage have enriched 
     and enlivened the societies of both the United States and 
     India; and
       Whereas the bonds of friendship between the United States 
     and India can be deepened and strengthened through 
     cooperative programs in areas such as education, science and 
     technology, information technology, finance and investment, 
     trade, agriculture, energy, the fight against poverty, 
     improving the environment, infrastructure development, and 
     the eradication of human suffering, disease, and poverty: 
     Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of 
     Representatives that--
       (1) the United States and the Republic of India should 
     continue to expand and strengthen bilateral security, 
     economic, and political ties for the mutual benefit of both 
     countries, and for the maintenance of peace, stability, and 
     prosperity in South Asia;
       (2) the United States should consider removing existing 
     unilateral legislative and administrative measures imposed 
     against India, which prevent the normalization of United 
     States-India bilateral economic and trade relations;
       (3) established institutional and collaborative mechanisms 
     between the United States and India should be maintained and 
     enhanced to further a robust partnership between the two 
     countries;
       (4) it is vitally important that the United State and India 
     continue to share information and intensify their cooperation 
     in combating terrorism; and
       (5) the upcoming visit of the Prime Minister of India, Atal 
     Bihari Vajpayee, to the United States is a significant step 
     toward broadening and deepening the friendship and 
     cooperation between United States and India.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New 
York (Mr. Gilman) and the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman).


                             General Leave

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks 
on H. Res. 572.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, today I introduced H. Res. 572, along with the gentleman 
from Connecticut (Mr. Gejdenson), a resolution expressing the sense of 
the House of Representatives that it is in the interest of both our 
Nation and India to expand and strengthen U.S.- India relations. To 
intensify bilateral cooperation in our fight against terrorism and to 
broaden the ongoing dialogue between the United States and India, of 
which the upcoming visit to the United States of the Prime Minister of 
India Atal Bihari Vajpayee, is a significant step.
  This coming Thursday, Indian Prime Minister Atal Vajpayee will 
address a joint session of the Congress. His historic visit comes at a 
precious moment in U.S.-Indian relations. The world's two largest and 
most vibrant democracies are in the process of creating a relationship 
that truly reflects our mutual interests.
  Both of our governments are dedicated to the protection of the rule 
of law, to democracy, and to freedom of religion. Our citizens share a 
fervent faith in these core values. It is also why India and the United 
States see eye to eye on so many regional concerns.
  China's hegemony, the spread of Islamic terrorism spilling out of 
Afghanistan and Pakistan, the narco-dictatorship in Burma, China's 
illegal occupation of Tibet, are serious concerns to both of our 
nations.
  During this past summer, the world was horror stricken when Islamic 
terrorists gunned down some 101 Hindu pilgrims in Kashmir. The massacre 
came only 2 weeks after the largest militant Kashmiri group Hezb-ul 
Mujahadeen called for a cease-fire. The killings apparently were 
intended to sabotage any attempt to peacefully broker a settlement to 
the Kashmir crisis.
  All of us were outraged by the brutal barbaric killings of innocent 
civilians. Such malicious extraordinary violence reinforces my 
conviction that India and the United States must develop a much closer 
military and intelligence relationship. A special relationship is 
needed so that we can share our knowledge and skills in order to 
successfully confront our mutual enemies who wish to destroy the basic 
principles of our societies.
  Regrettably, the State Department has confused our friends and allies 
in Asia by promoting a strategic partnership with China and by ignoring 
the fact that Beijing, in violation of the Nuclear Nonproliferation 
Treaty, transfers and sells nuclear and ballistic weapons technology to 
Pakistan, a nation that has been spreading terrorism throughout South 
Asia by supporting the Taliban and other repressive forces.
  China has also sold billions of dollars of arms to the narco-
dictatorship in Burma that borders on India. We need to lift the 
remaining economic sanctions that were imposed on India for testing 
nuclear weapons. As long as the State Department permits China to go 
unchecked and it continues to stoke the fires in South Asia, India will 
need to be able to defend itself.
  India's Prime Minister's address to Congress this week will afford 
all of us, all Members of the House and Senate, the opportunity to hear 
about the issues of importance and the U.S.-India bilateral 
relationship, including trade, energy, investment, science, information 
technology, as well as our cooperative efforts to combat terrorism and 
to achieve regional peace and security in South Asia, a region of prime 
importance to our national interests.
  As the current Indian government works to ensure that India remains 
secure, our democracy should be marching shoulder to shoulder with her 
during this new century. So I look forward to meeting with the prime 
minister and working closely with him and his government on initiatives 
that bring peace and prosperity to India and to Asia and even stronger 
bonds of friendship between our two nations. Accordingly, I urge all of 
our colleagues to support this resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

[[Page 17783]]


  Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Mr. Speaker, while it is just morning in India, it is rather late in 
the evening here, so I will be brief. A few folks watching at home 
include my son, Ari, who stayed up to hear this debate. And I am sorry 
to see the chairman engage in some gratuitous assaults on the 
administration, because, indeed, it is President Clinton who lead the 
recent trip to India and really welding together these two great 
democracies.
  And while Congress and many of the people in government, executive 
and legislative, had not recognized for a long time the important bond 
between India and the United States and Connecticut with the leadership 
of Chet Bowles, twice ambassador to India, the Congressman from my 
district, when I was a young man and a governor of the State of 
Connecticut, he understood even then how important this relationship 
between the United States and India was.
  The present ambassador at work for Chester Bowles is doing a fine job 
there, as the gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) pointed out. This 
Thursday we will have an address by the Prime Minister of India, an 
address that will be greeted in this House by near bipartisan support 
and approval.
  As we have ended the confrontation with the old Soviet Union, the 
natural bonds between our two democracies continue to build a stronger 
and stronger relationship. The United States is India's largest trading 
partner. The Americans in this country and Indians from abroad who have 
come here have built a stronger and stronger relationship, and as 
Indian-Americans have felt more a part of our society, they have helped 
build that bridge between the United States and India.
  This visit by the Prime Minister is a visit that will take us to the 
next level, bringing America's attention squarely focused on India and 
the shared values we have in democracy fighting terrorism, confronting 
infectious diseases, and helping develop democracy around the globe. 
India truly is a marvelous example of people. Consider about a billion 
people, half of them very poor, still they sustain a civil society that 
most countries in the world have not yet attained.
  Mr. Speaker, I join with the gentleman's statements, at least part of 
the gentleman's statement, and that is commending the President for 
having gone to India, commending the Prime Minister for coming here. 
And I can assure him and the Indian people that there will be no head 
of state that gets a warmer and friendlier greeting from the American 
people and from this Congress than the Prime Minister of India will 
get.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge passage of this legislation.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, and yield 
myself as much time as I may consume.
  On Thursday, September 14th, the United States Congress will meet in 
a rare joint session to hear from the prime Minister of India. It is 
appropriate that Prime Minister Vajpayee should be accorded this honor.
  After all, world's largest democracy and the world's oldest have much 
in common. India is one of our most important and strategic 
relationships.
  The visit of Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to the U.S. 
provides an opportunity for a further broadening and deepening of the 
bilateral relationship.
  With the end of the Cold War and the subsequent liberalization of the 
Indian economy, U.S.-India relations have steadily improved. President 
Clinton was enthusiastically received when he visited India in March, 
2000. During that visit, the two leaders set forth the framework for a 
new partnership between our two countries in the Joint Vision 
Statement.
  The Prime Minister's visit provides us with an important opportunity 
to further the goals of the Vision Statement.
  The U.S. is India's largest trading partner and largest investor. 
Home to one-fifth of the world's population, India continues to reduce 
and eliminate barriers to trade, and U.S. investment has grown from 
$500 million per year in 1991 to over $15 billion in 1999.
  The Asian Development Bank has forecast a 7 percent growth in GDP for 
India over the next two years in light of India's stable government, 
proposed structural reforms and proven ability to capitalize on the 
global technology revolution.
  The Clinton administration has identified India as one of the world's 
10 major emerging markets. The waiver of economic sanctions by the U.S. 
and the opening up of the insurance sector in India are likely to 
further increase foreign direct investment in India.
  India is a vital U.S. ally in the fight against global terrorism. 
Because there are significant links between terrorists groups operating 
in India and those targeting the U.S., the U.S.-India Joint Working 
Group on Counter-Terrorism was recently founded to coordinate 
antiterrorism efforts and share intelligence information. In the same 
manner that the United States and India have forged strong economic and 
commercial links, so too must we strengthen our partnership for peace 
and build a comprehensive regime to counter terrorism.
  The million-strong Indian-American community in the U.S. provides a 
strong bond between India and the U.S. Indian-Americans have made 
immeasurable contributions to our country and are a vital part of 
communities from San Francisco to Miami and every where in between--
even, I am proud to note, in my home state of Connecticut.
  Indian Americans, who have organized themselves into a large number 
of associations and organizations, are playing an important role in 
deepening and strengthening cooperation between India and the United 
States.
  As the President stated in his March 22 address to the Parliament of 
India, ``India and America are natural allies, two nations conceived in 
liberty, each finding strength in its diversity, each seeing in the 
other a reflection of its own aspiration for a more humane and just 
world.''
  It is essential for the United States and India--the world's two 
largest democracies--to strengthen our growing bonds of friendship.
  I urge my colleagues to support the House Resolution to welcome Prime 
Minister Vajpayee to the United States and encourage a robust U.S.-
India partnership.
  Mr. ROYCE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.Res. 572, of which I 
am a cosponsor. Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee's state visit this week 
caps off a special year in U.S.-India relations that began with 
President Clinton's March visit to India. The Prime Minister's visit 
provides another excellent opportunity for the U.S. and India to 
advance further our rapidly improving and mutually beneficial 
relationship.
  I want to commend Speaker Hastert for inviting the Prime Minister to 
share his vision of India's relationship with the U.S. with members of 
the House and Senate. Thursday's speech will be the first congressional 
address by a foreign leader in over two years. This address will be an 
especially significant moment for the over 100 members of the 
Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, who have worked 
hard on legislation affecting India.
  I had the privilege of traveling to India with the President, and saw 
firsthand the country's vitality and the desire by the Indian people to 
develop a closer relationship with America. In New Delhi, President 
Clinton and Prime Minister Vajpayee signed a joint statement on 
``India-U.S. Relations: A Vision for the 21st Century.'' This is an 
important statement, coming after years of American indifference toward 
India. It is important that we treat this statement as a living 
document, working to ensure that its vision becomes reality.
  The joint statement includes a pledge ``to reduce impediments to 
bilateral trade and investment and to expand commerce'' between our two 
countries. The U.S. is now not only the largest investor in India, it 
is also India's largest trading partner, with trade between the two 
countries totaling nearly $13 billion.
  The Prime Minister's state visit will also be a larger opportunity to 
highlight the great economic and cultural contributions of all Indo-
Americans, who act as a valuable bridge between our two countries. I 
join my colleagues in welcoming the Prime Minister and look forward to 
his speech before members of the House and the Senate.
  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Mr. Speaker, I am so proud to join my colleagues, the 
Distinguished Chairman and the ranking Democratic member of the 
International Relations Committee in welcoming to the United States the 
Honorable Prime Minister of India, Atal Behari Vajpayee.
  On behalf of Illinois' Indian American community and the people of 
Illinois in the 9th Congressional District, I want to express a most 
sincere welcome and best wishes for an enjoyable and meaningful visit 
to Prime Minister Vajpayee.
  As my colleagues and the Prime Minister are aware, the Chicago 
Metropolitan area boasts one of our country's most diverse populations, 
including a thriving Indian-American community of over 100,000 that is 
growing every year. As a member of Congress who

[[Page 17784]]

values the relationship between our two nations and recognizes the 
significance of Prime Minister Vajpayee's visit, I believe this is an 
opportunity to strengthen relations between India and our country even 
further. The Prime Minister's visit also gives the Indian American 
community a chance to showcase its contributions to American society 
and to the U.S.-India dialogue.
  I was fortunate to be one of eight members of Congress privileged to 
join President Clinton on his historic trip to India earlier this year. 
That was such an incredible and valuable experience for me, one which I 
learned from and which has helped me to understand the rich history and 
cultural traditions of a great number of my constituents who are of 
Indian descent.
  I was so touched and honored by the warm reception the President's 
delegation received. I know that we will all do our best to reciprocate 
so that Prime Minister Vajpayee's visit is greeted with the honor and 
respect it deserves.
  On Thursday, Prime Minister Vajpayee will address a joint session of 
Congress. This will be the first address to a joint session of Congress 
by an Indian Prime Minister in six years and the only address by a 
world leader to the 106th Congress.
  It is important that on this historic occasion, Congress sends a 
strong message on the importance of our relationship with India in such 
critical areas as trade, national security, health, science and 
technology and education. The friendship between our people has never 
been stronger and the relationship between our governments has reached 
a new height of cooperation. That is why I am a proud original 
cosponsor of H. Res. 572. The resolution expresses the Sense of the 
Congress that the United States and India should continue to work 
together.
  I urge all members to vote in support of it, and on behalf of myself, 
my family and my constituents, I offer a wholehearted and gracious 
welcome to Prime Minister Vajpayee.
  Mr. GEJDENSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Gilman) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, House Resolution 572.
  The question was taken.
  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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