Singh disagrees with Obama on Kashmir

Tue Nov 9, 2010

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has disagreed with US President Barack Obama's stance on the India-Pakistan negotiations over the Kashmir issue.

"We're not afraid of the K-word," Singh declared. "But talks can only happen when Pakistan has ceased its policy of terror-induced coercion. You (Pakistan) cannot simultaneously be talking while the terror machine is active as ever before," Singh said at a joint press conference with Obama in New Delhi on Monday.

However, the Indian prime minister said it is no secret that he would like to resolve disputes with Islamabad during his term in office.

He also took issue with US media outlets' claims that India has taken jobs away from the US, saying, "Indians are not in the business of stealing jobs from Americans."

Before coming to India, Obama and the US media had spent the last couple of days talking about a perception in the United States that jobs were being shipped out to India through outsourcing.

In recent months, Obama has also spoken about outsourcing to India, warning the US against being "Bangalored," in reference to the city of Bangalore, the hub of India's IT industry.

"The outsourcing industry, I believe, has helped to improve the productive capacity and productivity of American industries", The Times of India quoted the Indian prime minister as saying.

Before the joint press conference, the two leaders emphasized the importance of their global strategic partnership and pledged to deepen cooperation between the two nations.

Singh and Obama agreed to promote bilateral ties, cooperate in advanced technology and innovation, expand prosperity in both countries and global economic growth, and support sustainable development.

The two leaders called their meeting a "historic milestone."

On Monday, it was also announced that Singh would travel to Washington in 2011.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/150196.html.