US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said here Saturday she was “optimistic” on finalizing a defense agreement that will enable the US to monitor the end use of sophisticated arms and sensitive technologies sold to India and ensure that they are not diverted to other countries. “We are working very hard to finalize a number of agreements. I am optimistic that we will get such agreements resolved and announced,” Clinton told reporters in Mumbai in response to a question about an arms “end-user monitoring” pact. Under US law, such a pact is necessary for US firms to bid on India's plan to buy 126 multi-role fighters, which would be one of the largest arms deals in the world and could be a boon to Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co. That deal is worth an estimated $10.4 billion, part of India's $30 billion plan to modernize its military over the next five years. In a sign of solidarity, Clinton, on her first trip to India as Washington's top diplomat, stayed at the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower Hotel, one of two luxury landmarks, along with the Trident/Oberoi, which were the primary targets of the Islamist gunmen who besieged India's financial and entertainment hub. Clinton linked the Mumbai attacks which left 166 people dead to those in the United States on September 11, 2001 and Friday's deadly hotel bombings in Jakarta. “These events are seared in our collective memory,” she told reporters. “Yesterday's bombings in Jakarta, Indonesia, provide a painful reminder that the threat of such violent extremism is still very real. It's global, ruthless, it's nihilistic and it must be stopped. “The United States will work with the Indian government, the Indonesian government and other nations and peoples to seek peace and security and confront and defeat these violent extremists.” In a private meeting, Clinton met 13 members of staff from the Taj and the nearby Trident-Oberoi hotels, including Taj general manager Karambir Kang, whose wife and two sons died in the tragedy. Despite losing his family, he continued to work and direct rescue operations. Clinton said she was “deeply touched” to meet the employees and to pay her respects at the memorial to the victims at the landmark waterfront hotel. Clinton denied that President Barack Obama's administration was pressuring India into seeking peace with Pakistan so the latter could focus entirely on beating an Islamist insurgency on its border with Afghanistan, a US priority. “The US... is very supportive of steps that the governments take but we are not in any way involved in or promoting any particular position,” she told the news conference. – AgenciesOther agreements• A technology safeguards agreement (TSA) on space launches and another pact on deepening education ties are also expected to be signed during Clinton's visit. • India is also likely to announce two sites for US nuclear reactors during her visit.Phase III partnership• Clinton will additionally focus on ushering in Phase III of the US-India strategic partnership, which “is based on the five pillars which are areas of strategic importance, agriculture, healthcare, science and technology and education,” Clinton told reporters Saturday after meeting top Indian businessmen, including Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani. __
