India concerned over US restrictions

New Delhi expressed its displeasure over the US Government’s refusal to remove some of the Indian defence PSUs from its black-lists too.

Defence Minister A K Antony told American Secretary of Defence Robert Gates on Wednesday that such restrictions were anomalous in the context of the steady improvement in the bilateral defence relations between both countries.

New Delhi also remained non-committal on signing two controversial pacts with Washington; even as Gates tried to hard-sell them during a meeting with Antony.
As Gates insisted on conclusion of the proposed Communications Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CISMOA) and the Logistic Support Agreement (LSA), Antony told him that New Delhi would have to assess how India would be benefited if it signed the two pacts with the US.

Gates, currently on a visit to New Delhi, told media-persons just after his meeting with Antony that the US would continue to spell out to India the benefits of signing the CISMOA and LSA.