Congressional Statements

65 Congresspersons sign letter to the President on the eve of his departure for India

March 16, 2000

The President
The White House
Washington, D. C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

We want to congratulate you and offer our support for your decision to travel to South Asia. This is, indeed, an important and long awaited journey. You will be visiting the home to one-fifth of the world's population and home to the world's largest democracy - India. The Subcontinent is a strategic part of the world for the United States. In our view, closer ties with the countries of the region, particularly India, will greatly benefit our nation.

We urge you to frame your trip within a scope of broad political, economic, social and cultural considerations. In this regard, we believe that building a long-term, enduring relationship with India should be paramount.

There are sound reasons for strengthening our relations with India:

• India and the United States share common democratic traditions. Portions of India's constitution were modeled on our own -- we share the same views of freedom of expression, protection of individual rights, and a vitality of the political process.
• India and the United States have forged close economic and commercial links. India represents enormous opportunities for U.S. firms to make new investments and enter new markets. Good relations with India can only increase the economic ties we currently have. A strong economy in India is a basis for lifting people out of poverty and for creating a strong democratic base.
• India and the United States have become linked centers of scientific and technological innovation. In the fast-changing world of high technology, the U.S. and India have already begun a sharing process of information, of skills and of people that provide great benefits for consumers in both countries. India has a highly trained corps of software engineers whose talents are being utilized here and in India.
• India and the United States, both victims of terrorism, have a shared interest in strengthening a regime to counter terrorism. Last month, the U.S. And India agreed to establish a Joint Working Group on Counter-terrorism to enhance the effectiveness of both nations' efforts to combat terrorism worldwide.

India and the United States share other commonalties as well. In the areas of education, energy, environment, agriculture and culture, we struggle with common concerns or we benefit from the linkages that already exist. We point with pride, as we are sure you do, Mr. President, at the accomplishments of the millions of Indian-Americans now living in the United States who have become embedded in the fabric of our society. They have simultaneously enriched our lives even as they have bettered their own.

We believe your trip to India represents an ideal opportunity for you to announce that you are exercising your waiver authority to allow critically needed World Bank loans to India. These loans will be used by India to develop its infrastructure and to sustain economic activities in rural areas where the poorest people live.

Finally, now that you have decided to add Pakistan to your itinerary, we believe it essential for you to urge General Musharraf to establish a timetable for the restoration of democracy and to cease and desist from providing material support to terrorist groups being trained and equipped in his country for the purpose of fomenting unrest in India and elsewhere in the region. To the extent that one of the objectives of your trip will be to encourage the resumption of a dialogue between India and Pakistan, we believe it is important for General Musharraf to understand that unless he takes steps to terminate the efforts to destabilize India, there will be no hope of reviving the negotiations between Delhi and Islamabad.

Mr. President, with respect to Kashmir, we were pleased to note that in your recent press conference you have reaffirmed the long-standing policy of the U.S. that we will not be involved in mediating the Kashmir dispute unless both sides have requested us to do so. Resolution of this issue is best left to the parties themselves in order to achieve a lasting and durable solution.

For all of these reasons, your trip is important, in that it will pave the way for a qualitatively new and closer relationship between the world's two largest democracies--the U.S. And India. We sincerely hope that you will use this opportunity to send a clear and strong signal to highlight India's great potential to be a leading player on the world stage. We believe one of the best ways of doing this would be to publicly acknowledge the strength of India's claim to be a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.

Sincerely,

1. Benjamin A. Gilman (R-NY) - Chairman of House International Relations Committee (HIRC)
2. Sam Gejdenson (D-CT) - Ranking Member of (HIRC)
3. Gary L. Ackerman (D-NY) - cochairman of India Caucus
4. James C. Greenwood (R-PA) - cochairman of India Caucus
5. Bill McCollum (R-FL) - Chair of Select of Intelligence Committee, Chair of Immigration and Claims Committee
6. Robert Wexler (D-FL) - member of Asia and the Pacific Western Hemisphere Committee
7. Jim McDermott (D-WA) - member of India Caucus
8. Rob Andrews (D-NJ) - member of Armed Services Committee
9. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) - cofounder of India Caucus
10. Ken Bentsen (D-TX) - member of India Caucus
11. Shelley Berkley (D-NV) - member of India Caucus
12. Howard L. Berman (D-CA) - member of the Asia and the Pacific Committee
13. Rod R. Blagojevich (D-IL) - member of the Armed Services Committee
14. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) - member of Asia and the Pacific Committee
15. Robert A. Borski (D-PA) - ranking minority member of the Water Resources and Environment Committee
16. Sonny Callahan (R-AL) - member of Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs, Chairman
17. Julia Carson (D-IN) - member of Congressional Black Caucus
18. Merrill Cook (R-UT)
19. Joseph Crowley (D-NY) - member of International Relations Committee
20. Danny Davis (D-IL) - member of India Caucus, member of Congressional Black Caucus
21. Jim Davis (D-FL) - member of Asia and the Pacific Western Hemisphere Committee
22. Peter Deutsch (D-FL)
23. Norman Dicks (D-WA) - member of Defense Appropriations Committee
24. John Duncan (R-TN)
25. Elliot Engel (D-NY) - member of India Caucus, Commerce Committee
26. Phil English (R-PA) - House Republican Steering Committee
27. Bob Filner (D-CA) - member of India Caucus
28. Michael Forbes (R-NY) - member of Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Committee
29. Harold Ford (D-TN) - member of Congressional Black Caucus
30. Bob Franks (R-NJ) - member of India Caucus
31. Rush Holt (D-NJ) - member of India Caucus
32. Darlene Hooley (D-OR) - member Budget Committee
33. Stephen Horn (R-CA) - member of India Caucus
34. Amory Houghton (R-NY) - member of International Relations Committee
35. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) - member of Appropriations Committee
36. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) - member of Asia and Pacific Committee
37. Jay Inslee (D-WA) - member of Resources Committee
38. Nancy Johnson (R-CT) - member of Ways and Means Committee
39. Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) - Minority Whip at Large
40. Joseph Knollenberg (R-MI) - member of Appropriations Foreign Operations, Export Financing, and Related Programs Committee
41. Rick Lazio (R-NY) - Assistant Majority Leader
42. Sander Levin (D-MI) - member of India Caucus
43. Tom Lantos (D-CA) - Ranking Minority Member of Asia and Pacific Committee
44. Nita Lowey (D-NY) - Minority Whip at Large
45. Bill Luther (D-MN) - Deputy Regional Minority Whip
46. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) - member of India Caucus
47. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) - member of India Caucus
48. Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA) - member of Congressional Black Caucus
49. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) - member of Congressional Black Caucus
50. Constance Morella (R-MD) - member of India Caucus
51. Michael Oxley (R-OH) - National Republican Congressional Committee; Fundraising Committee - Chair
52. Donald Payne (D-NJ) - ranking minority member of Africa Committee
53. David E. Price (D-NC) - member of Appropriations Committee
54. Tim Roemer (DIN) - member of Select Intelligence Committee
55. Jim Saxton (R-NJ) - member of Armed Services Committee
56. Chris Shays (R-CT) - member of Budget Committee
57. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL) - member of India Caucus
58. Cliff Stearns (R-FL) - House Republican Policy Committee
59. Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) - member of Armed Services Committee
60. Peter J. Visclosky (DIN) - Minority Whip at Large
61. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) - member of India Caucus
62. Albert Russell Wynn (D-MD) - Deputy Minority Whip
63. John Sweeney (R-NY) - Executive Committee of National Republican Congressional Committee
64. David Wu (D-OR) - Vice Chair, Congressional Asian Pacific Caucus
65. William Delahunt (D-MA) - member of International Relations Committee