NEW
DELHI – President Obama and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said
Sunday that the two countries have made progress toward resolving
nuclear issues at the start of a three-day visit that is heavy on
pageantry and symbolism.
Obama said the two countries have come to a “breakthrough understanding” that would make it easier for U.S. and foreign firms to invest in Indian nuclear power plants. Indian law holds suppliers, designers and builders of plants liable in case of an accident, making companies loath to invest in Indian nuclear plants, and the two countries have not agreed on how to track nuclear material.
The understanding, though short on specifics, moves toward resolving one of a number of nuclear issues that have hamstrung the countries for years and has prevented the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal reached during the Bush administration.
“We’re committed to moving towards full implementation. And this is an important step that shows how we can work together to elevate our relationship,” Obama said.
The White House said the agreement was reached through a combination of insurance pools and an assurance that reducing the liability would be within the framework of the 2010 agreement.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh staked his first term on the landmark civil nuclear agreement, which ended India’s three decades of nuclear isolation and held the promise of billions in sales and thousands of jobs for U.S. energy companies. The U.S. government and private sector were stunned when the legislature passed the liability law. It has remained a bone of contention between the two countries for years, during which they have been talking about ways to interpret the law in a way that is more amenable to large, multinational nuclear corporations.
During that time India’s enthusiasm for nuclear power was dampened by the nuclear disaster in Japan and the difficulty attaining land to build nuclear reactors. Nuclear power today is only about 2 percent of India’s total installed power capacity.
Obama and Modi said they have made progress on other issues, including climate change, saying they are committed to phasing out carbon emissions and pursuing a “strong global climate agreement” at talks in Paris later this year.
When asked if the landmark climate deal with China put pressure on India to cut its emissions, Modi said that “India is an independent country. There is no pressure on us from any country or any person,” but that there is pressure on all people to combat climate change.
The countries renewed their 10-year defense framework agreement and have agreed in principle to pursue co-development of weapons.
The progress was, in many ways, dwarfed by talk of the budding close relationship between the two men, which started when Modi came to Washington in September as the two countries looked to revive their stagnating relationship.
Modi broke from tradition and met Obama at the airport, giving him a big hug after he bounded down from Air Force One. Obama was welcomed at a lavish greeting at the presidential palace on a cool, foggy afternoon. Obama’s limo was trailed by dozen of men clad in red on horseback and a 21-gun salute.
“Barack and I have forged a friendship,” Modi said through an interpreter. He made a statement in English and answered questions in Hindi. “There is openness when we talk, and we even joke and share a lot together. I think this is a chemistry which has not only brought Washington and Delhi, Barack and I closer, but also the two peoples of the two countries closer.
The trip is one filled with symbolism that they hope will translate to a stronger relationship between the two countries. Obama is the first president to visit India twice while in office, after receiving an unprecedented invitation to be the guest at the parade, which celebrates India becoming a republic.
The personal relationship between the two men blossomed when Modi went to Washington, D.C., in September. The two men talked over a lavish dinner, even though Modi was on a religious fast, and visited the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, where they invoked Mahatma Gandhi.
Obama visited the site that holds Gandhi’s ashes on Sunday, slowly walking around the memorial and throwing rose petals on it. Obama spread dirt around a sapling, watering it with a silver pitcher and said repeatedly, "big and strong."
Their friendship came as somewhat of a surprise. Obama tends to be reticent among world leaders, rarely striking up friendships in the way that his predecessor, George W. Bush, did. The notable exception is British Prime Minister David Cameron, whom Obama calls “bro.”
The rapport between the two men, forged over talk of campaigning, governing and ascending politically after coming from humble backgrounds, came shortly after Modi was elected and the two countries saw the visit as a way to try to revive their relationship. It came at a time when India felt overlooked by the administration’s focus on other Asian countries -- and as the U.S. realized that it needs India as a counterweight to China.
“I think from the very beginning, there were quite a few things that actually led to that personal affinity and that ability to build rapport,” said Phil Reiner, the Senior Director at the National Security Council for South Asia.
In many ways, having Modi be the leader to advance the U.S. India relationship is surprising, given his fraught relationship with the United States. In 2005 the State Department revoked Modi’s visa on grounds that he had violated religious freedom by not doing enough to stop Hindu-Muslim riots in 2002 while he was chief minister of the state of Gujarat. More than 1,000 people were killed.
Despite this, Modi has taken a number of pages from the U.S. playbook when it comes to campaigning and governing. Modi employed campaign tactics modeled after Obama’s, using social media and micro-targeting and displaying posters akin to the one Shepherd Fairey made of Obama. In August, Modi chanted Obama’s campaign phrase, “Yes We Can,” at a rally.
“In some ways Modi is the most American-like Indian politican there’s been in years,” said Tanvi Madan, a fellow and director of the India Project at the Brookings Institution.
Obama said the two countries have come to a “breakthrough understanding” that would make it easier for U.S. and foreign firms to invest in Indian nuclear power plants. Indian law holds suppliers, designers and builders of plants liable in case of an accident, making companies loath to invest in Indian nuclear plants, and the two countries have not agreed on how to track nuclear material.
The understanding, though short on specifics, moves toward resolving one of a number of nuclear issues that have hamstrung the countries for years and has prevented the implementation of a landmark nuclear deal reached during the Bush administration.
“We’re committed to moving towards full implementation. And this is an important step that shows how we can work together to elevate our relationship,” Obama said.
The White House said the agreement was reached through a combination of insurance pools and an assurance that reducing the liability would be within the framework of the 2010 agreement.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh staked his first term on the landmark civil nuclear agreement, which ended India’s three decades of nuclear isolation and held the promise of billions in sales and thousands of jobs for U.S. energy companies. The U.S. government and private sector were stunned when the legislature passed the liability law. It has remained a bone of contention between the two countries for years, during which they have been talking about ways to interpret the law in a way that is more amenable to large, multinational nuclear corporations.
During that time India’s enthusiasm for nuclear power was dampened by the nuclear disaster in Japan and the difficulty attaining land to build nuclear reactors. Nuclear power today is only about 2 percent of India’s total installed power capacity.
Obama and Modi said they have made progress on other issues, including climate change, saying they are committed to phasing out carbon emissions and pursuing a “strong global climate agreement” at talks in Paris later this year.
When asked if the landmark climate deal with China put pressure on India to cut its emissions, Modi said that “India is an independent country. There is no pressure on us from any country or any person,” but that there is pressure on all people to combat climate change.
The countries renewed their 10-year defense framework agreement and have agreed in principle to pursue co-development of weapons.
The progress was, in many ways, dwarfed by talk of the budding close relationship between the two men, which started when Modi came to Washington in September as the two countries looked to revive their stagnating relationship.
Modi broke from tradition and met Obama at the airport, giving him a big hug after he bounded down from Air Force One. Obama was welcomed at a lavish greeting at the presidential palace on a cool, foggy afternoon. Obama’s limo was trailed by dozen of men clad in red on horseback and a 21-gun salute.
“Barack and I have forged a friendship,” Modi said through an interpreter. He made a statement in English and answered questions in Hindi. “There is openness when we talk, and we even joke and share a lot together. I think this is a chemistry which has not only brought Washington and Delhi, Barack and I closer, but also the two peoples of the two countries closer.
The trip is one filled with symbolism that they hope will translate to a stronger relationship between the two countries. Obama is the first president to visit India twice while in office, after receiving an unprecedented invitation to be the guest at the parade, which celebrates India becoming a republic.
The personal relationship between the two men blossomed when Modi went to Washington, D.C., in September. The two men talked over a lavish dinner, even though Modi was on a religious fast, and visited the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial, where they invoked Mahatma Gandhi.
Obama visited the site that holds Gandhi’s ashes on Sunday, slowly walking around the memorial and throwing rose petals on it. Obama spread dirt around a sapling, watering it with a silver pitcher and said repeatedly, "big and strong."
Their friendship came as somewhat of a surprise. Obama tends to be reticent among world leaders, rarely striking up friendships in the way that his predecessor, George W. Bush, did. The notable exception is British Prime Minister David Cameron, whom Obama calls “bro.”
The rapport between the two men, forged over talk of campaigning, governing and ascending politically after coming from humble backgrounds, came shortly after Modi was elected and the two countries saw the visit as a way to try to revive their relationship. It came at a time when India felt overlooked by the administration’s focus on other Asian countries -- and as the U.S. realized that it needs India as a counterweight to China.
“I think from the very beginning, there were quite a few things that actually led to that personal affinity and that ability to build rapport,” said Phil Reiner, the Senior Director at the National Security Council for South Asia.
In many ways, having Modi be the leader to advance the U.S. India relationship is surprising, given his fraught relationship with the United States. In 2005 the State Department revoked Modi’s visa on grounds that he had violated religious freedom by not doing enough to stop Hindu-Muslim riots in 2002 while he was chief minister of the state of Gujarat. More than 1,000 people were killed.
Despite this, Modi has taken a number of pages from the U.S. playbook when it comes to campaigning and governing. Modi employed campaign tactics modeled after Obama’s, using social media and micro-targeting and displaying posters akin to the one Shepherd Fairey made of Obama. In August, Modi chanted Obama’s campaign phrase, “Yes We Can,” at a rally.
“In some ways Modi is the most American-like Indian politican there’s been in years,” said Tanvi Madan, a fellow and director of the India Project at the Brookings Institution.
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