With Washington no longer pressurising New Delhi to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty, further liberalisation of US exports of high-tech, dual-use goods to India is expected, Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal has said.

"Though they have their laws restricting exports of strategic goods to non-signatories, they have found that there is room for further liberalisation without changing the laws, and how far they can go will probably be known by November by the next meeting of the High Technology Cooperation Group in New Delhi," Sibal said in Washington after the conclusion of the two-day meeting of HTCG.

The two governments had agreed to form the HTCG in November 2002 to facilitate and promote bilateral high-technology trade, including trade in dual-use goods and technologies, as part of the broad commitment by US President George W Bush and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to transform the relationship between the two countries.  

"Both sides discussed changes in policy and regulation that can facilitate such trade and strengthen controls on the possible diversion of sensitive items. Today's meeting of the HTCG was an important step in this process," US Under Secretary of Commerce Kenneth I Juster said.

"Creating the conditions for a vibrant high-technology trade relationship is a key component of the administration's overall agenda for fundamentally transforming US-Indian relations," Juster said.

"We look forward to working cooperatively with India in the future to build on the progress that we have made today," Juster said.  

The two sides discussed a wide range of issues relevant to creating the conditions for more robust bilateral high-technology commerce, including market access, tariff and non- tariff barriers, strategic trade, and export controls.