India & US to hold talks to remove trade obstacles
13 Feb '06
1 min read
India and the US officials plan discussions in Washington to ensure that the bilateral trade between the two nations progresses smoothly. Talks between Commerce Secretary S N Menon and Deputy US Trade Representative Karan Bhatia are scheduled for February 16-17, 2006, just before the arrival of US President George W Bush in India, beginning March, 2006.
Although most of the multilateral trade issues would be handled under the World Trade Organisation negotiations, some of the bilateral issues are to be taken up under the India-US Trade Policy Forum introduced in 2005.
Focus will be on sanitary and phytosanitary measures (SPS), as well as technical barriers to trade (TBT).
Issues regarding marine products and also convincing the US to allow the export of fresh Indian mangoes were major concerns.
Indian exports to the US are expected rise by around 18-20 percent this year to reach almost $14 billion.
The US exports to India will also increase by around 20 percent to reach over six billion dollars.
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