WASHINGTON: U.S trade representative Carla Hills refused to change her stance when urged to give up the special 301 process and take India off the “watch list” foreign secretary Muchkund Dubey has said.
Al a press conference here Dubey said that at a meeting with Hills had insisted that unless India accepted the conditions imposed by the US India could not be taken off the special 301 list.
Dubey said she told me that until there was some improvement from their point of view some forward movement from our side towards liberalising the areas in the IPR (intellectual property rights) in which the U.S. was interested it will be very difficult for them not to put us on the watch list of 301 countries which will trigger investigation.
Dubey indicated that despite his explanations Hills refused to budge.
I told her about the general drift of our economic policy some of which has not been reflected in the budget itself because we have only an interim budget and vote on account I told her that our real policy decisions on these things cannot be taken until we have the elections and a government in power
I also told her that the Super 301 trade action against India was dropped on the ground that we have to see what happens in the Uruguay round. This should be equally applicable to our being put on the special 301 list.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 29, 1991
