Embassy Row

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Time has come

Indian Ambassador Ronen Sen arrived in Washington in 2004 with what many thought was a starry-eyed expectation of a boom in U.S.-India trade.

"People were polite," he said of skeptics who doubted there was much in India for Americans to invest in. "They thought I was suffering from jet lag."

Four years later, the world's two largest democracies have become two of the world's largest trading partners. From $21 billion in bilateral trade in 2001, business has soared to $32 billion, while the U.S. investors found a rich market in India.

The United States is now India's largest investment partner, financing $9 billion in ventures in 2006, according to U.S. trade figures.

Mr. Sen, addressing the Sigur Center for Asian Studies at George Washington University, quoted the famous 19th century French writer Victor Hugo.

" 'There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come,' " Mr. Sen said. "For India and the United States, the time has come."

President Bush and India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh have held summit meetings in New Delhi and Washington to talk about trade, defense cooperation, nuclear power and terrorism. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld traveled to India in 2004, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice followed in 2005. Foreign Minister Natwar Singh and Defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee returned the visits also in 2005.

Now the biggest issue in both capitals is the landmark nuclear energy deal that would allow India to purchase U.S. nuclear technology while opening its nuclear power plants to international inspections. The deal would not affect India's nuclear weapons program.

However, the deal faces opposition in the Parliament of India and the U.S. Congress, which is one reason India needs the experienced ambassador to stay on in Washington. Mr. Sen had been scheduled to retire this week.