US President Barack Obama finally uttered the P-word today. Widely criticised for evading the subject of Pakistan’s role in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks in his speech at The Gateway of India on Saturday, Obama said Pakistan’s progress in fighting terrorism was slower than what the US wanted. However, he was convinced that the country with the biggest stake in Pakistan’s success is India.
Obama hoped that in time, there is greater trust between India and Pakistan. “India and Pakistan can prosper and live side by side. The US can be a partner, but cannot impose this process. India and Pakistan have to arrive at an understanding,” he said. Obama added that a stable Afghanistan is also achievable.
The US President’s lacklustre performance at The Gateway gave way to a spirited exchange with the students. Obama, in rolled-up shirt-sleeves, was at his charismatic best and spoke candidly about the importance of religion and identity, as well as his party’s electoral rout in the mid-term elections last week.
On the contentious issue of opening up the Indian market to US companies, Obama said, “It’s not unfair for the US to say that if our economy is open, then the countries with which we trade will have to change their terms.” His comments come at a time when US companies are pressing for access to India’s financial, retail and other sectors.
Indo-US bilateral trade stood at $36.6 billion in 2009-10. Obama said he hoped US exports to India would double in the next five years. US exports to India account for only 2 per cent of US shipments overseas. Stating that the US has gone through a tough two years following the financial meltdown of 2008, he said India had weathered this crisis better than any other country.
“India is not just a rising power, it has already risen. Its economy has risen at a breathtaking rate. We look forward to a greater role for India at the world stage,” he said.
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“I believe that the US will grow and prosper if we are trading with Asia, the fastest growing region of the world. We want access to your market. We think we have good products to sell. You think you guys have good products to sell to us. This can be a win-win situation. So, I want to make sure we are here, because this will create jobs in the US and create jobs in India,” Obama said.
In his reply to queries on his Democratic party’s debacle in recent polls, Obama said voters were frustrated because of the high unemployment in the US. “One important thing about democracy is that when people are not happy, they have a right to express their unhappiness.”