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'India, US negotiating end-user verification pact'

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BS Reporter Bangalore

India is negotiating an agreement with the United States to enable Washington to monitor if the military hardware it sells to New Delhi is used for the mandated purpose, Defence Minister AK Antony has said.

“These are special agreements. We have never had such an agreement with any country. All I can say is that negotiations are on and things are progressing,” he told reporters here at the Aero India show.

US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) Director Vice-Admiral Jeffrey Weirranga had said yesterday that the two countries were moving closer to resolving the disagreements over certain terms of the End-User Verification Agreement (EUVA), which is mandatory under US laws.

 

Antony noted that the country would not scale down its defence expenditure despite the economic slowdown and continue to acquire new weapons.

Meanwhile, Bell Helicopters today said the company was scouting for partners in India to start a pilot training academy.

“Bell is looking at a variety of Indian companies as potential partners in various capacities,” company’s Senior Vice-President, BoB Fitzpatrick, said.

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First Published: Feb 12 2009 | 12:59 AM IST

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