Visit of Indian Prime Minister Gandhi - Rajiv Gandhi - transcript

ARRIVAL REMARKS, JUNE 12, 1985 President Reagan Mr. Prime Minister, Nancy and I take great pleasure in welcoming you and Mrs. Gandhi to the White House today.

In 1949 your grandfather, Prime Minister Nehru, visited the United States on what he termed, "a voyage of discovery." He said that, "Though we may know the history and something of the culture of our respective countries, what is required is a true understanding and appreciation of each other." Prime Minister, your visit marks a continuation of that process of mutual discovery.

Today we celebrate the depth and vitality of the ties between our nations. We americans place great value on India's friendship. Our shared democratic ideals serve as a bridge between us. Our cultural differences enrich our relationship. Our mutual commitment to the freedom and dignity of man set us on a different road, a higher road than governments which deny the human rights so cherished by our peoples.

On this, your own voyage of discovery, you will find a deep well of affection and respect for India and its people. You will sense America's admiration for India's strength in overcoming adversities and a heartfelt sympathy for the tragedy that you've personnaly suffered. You will also discover that the United States remains steadfastly dedicated to India's unity and that we firmly oppose those who would undermine it.

You'll find that we respect India's nonalignment and recognize the pivotal role your country plays in South Asia. We're supportive of your efforts and those of others in South Asia to overcome past animosities in seeking stability, security, and cooperation in the region.

Our people have much to gain from one another. Enthusiasm for the growing potential of our commercial and economic relations is evident here. Expanding cultural, scientific, and educational exchanges will also be a great boon to both our peoples.

Our countries have areas of disagreement, yet these are opportunities to prove our mutual good will by discussing our differences forthrightly. We do so with confidence because we're convinced that our fundamental areas of agreement far outweight the differences of the moment.

This understanding gives us reason for optimism about the future of our relations. Your stay with us will also provide us a better understanding of you. Americans are impressed with what they've seen; your leadership and your idealism are inspiring. We're eager to learn more of your vision for India's future.

I've been impressed with your efforts to invigorate India's economy. In much of the developing world, people are moving away from redistribution and state control--methods that have brought only a scarcity and suffering. New and more successful models for development focus on incentives rather than controls; on production rather than redistribution. And here in the United States, we found that reducing tax rates has been the most important factor in the progress we've made. And we have every reason to look to the future with confidence and optimism.

Just as current technology overcame past problems, new technologies will provide solutions to maladies which today seem insurmountable. Free people, free minds, and free markets will develop innovations which will ensure a more prosperous and peaceful tomorrow. The people of the United States look forward to working with India in building a better tomorrow.

Three years ago, when the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and I met here, we agreed that a Festival of India would advance America's knowledge of India's heritage and achievements. You will inaugurate that festival, now dedicated to your mother's memory, during your visit here this week. This is an auspicious year for such a festival. As you know, it has been dubbed "The Year of India," in recognition of a resurgent American interest in India's culture and history.

I look forward to our talks, for I'm sure that, as with our predecessors, we, too, will be enriched by the exchange. This is an opportunity to broaden the understanding and deepen the cooperation between our countries and to advance the cause of peace in your region and in the world.

On behalf of all Americans, welcome to the United States.

Prime Minister Gandhi

Mr. President, Sonia and I are honored and delighted to be here. I bring you too, Mrs. Reagan, and to the warmhearted people of the United Sttes the Indian peoples' greetings and friendship. Millions of Indian eyes are focused on this spot today, leaping over oceans and continents.

Three years ago, welcoming Indira Gandhi, my predecessor, my mother, on this very stretch of green, you remarked so truly that our two people, with all their differences, have much in common. Yes, there are differences, but rising above them are the beliefs we share in common--in the supremacy of freedom, in the necessity of equality, in the sovereignty of the people's will.

As I flew in here I saw, in passing, the memorial to Thomas Jefferson, who proclaimed in simple and stirring words that all men are created equal and independent. Behind me is a house which has been the home of eminent men who have symbolized your nation's dreams and its drive to greatness. One of them, Abraham Lincoln, said that a nation cannot be half slave and half free and that a house divided against itself cannot stand. The best minds of our age tell us that a world divided against itself cannot endure.

It should be the task of all of us who hold responsibility for other people's lives to recognize what life and its continuance demand in this hate-filled, violence-prone world of ours. The inevitability of coexistence must propel us toward the imperative of cooperation.

The United States and India have been developing a tradition of working together. If my visit strengthens that tradition, it will have given further substance to what is, in any case, one of the most important and one of the most pleasantly rewarding of journeys. I look forward, in particular, to my talks with you. We know of your lifelong feeling for India and look forward to welcoming you there.

From this week, a Festival of India opens here in Washington; several other cities will soon join in it. The festival portrays India's aspirations, achievements, and ancient living heritage. I hope that it will enable the people of the United States to understand what we are, why we are so, and how the Indian civilization has endured for 5,000 years. The purpose of the festival is to secure greater understanding and, with it, greater friendship from the American people, who have, themselves, built a dynamic civilization.

It was a great act of imagination and constructiveness when you and our late Prime Minister decided we should try to develop a better grasp of each other through the medium of culture. I am sure it will provide a story for developing an understanding and cooperation in other fields.

Thank you again for your welcome and for the opportunity for this renewal of our dialogue.

SECRETARY'S LUNCHEON TOAST, JUNE 12, 1985

Your visit coincides with an exciting renewal of interest in India that has been sweeping this country. India is a longstanding friend, a fellow democracy, and a major player on the world scene. We welcome this visit as an opportunity to confirm our friendship and deepen our cooperation. There is much we can do together that will benefit not only our two peoples but also the cause of international peace, prosperity, and freedom.

On this visit you will hear much mention of the Festival of India which is a vivid symbol of Indo-American friendship. The festival is the living spirit of the pledge your mother and President Reagan made in 1982 to "strengthen cultural, educational, and scientific exchanges and to seek new avenues through which these activities may be placed on an enduring basis."

Our agenda, of course, goes deeper than cultural exchange. It covers the range of global, regional, and bilateral issues reflecting the important roles of world leadership that both our countries play. Our nations have a special responsibility to maintain a close dialogue and to seek a meeting of the minds on the many important matters of concern to our peoples and to the world at large.

In South Asia, we recognize India's pivotal role and special responsibilities. Despite differences, we see a significant parallelism of interest between us. America's clear interest is to support the stability, security, and economic progress of all the nations of South Asia and to promote reconciliation among them. We know that this is India's goal as well.

We note with pleasure the commitment of India and Pakistan to the gradual improvement in relations envisioned in the Simla accord of 1972. This commitment and its full realization have the greatest significance for peace, security, and stability which we all desire for South Asia.

For the same reason, the United States also believes the tragic ordeal of Afghanistan must be brought swiftly to a peaceful and just conclusion in accordance with UN General Assembly resolutions. And we will do whatever we can to promote the success of the present negotiating process under the leadership of the United Nations. Withdrawal of Soviet forces is the key to moving this process forward.

We also welcome the chance to talk about global economic matters in which both our countries are deeply interested. We share a desire to combat a growing protectionist trend in the world. We share a stake in the dismantling of restrictions on the free flow of trade. The United States believes that a new GATT [General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade] round will serve both these ends. We are also exchanging views on the important role of the multilateral lending institutions, which the United States helped create and sustain in the years since World War II.

Opportunities for Indo-American trade, investment, and technical cooperation--particularly in high technology areas such as computers, electronics, and telecommunications--are greater today than in the last several decades. Our new memorandum of understanding on technology transfer will give impetus to significant forward movement in this area, reflecting forward movement in our relations.

We have firmly stated from the highest levels our uncompromising opposition to terrorism in any form. Both of our countries have suffered grievously from thisglobal scourge. The United States will continue to work closely with India in the fight against terrorism, whatever its form. By our statements and by our deeds, we have made clear that we strongly support the unity, independence, and territorial integrity of India against those who would undermine it.

The vigor of India's democracy is an inspiration to millions around the world. It creates a special bond between us. Your visit moves our cooperation on to a higher plateau of dialogue and partnership.

May I propose a toast to the Prime Minister and Mrs. Gandhi and to the future of our relations and to the friendship of our peoples.

DINNER TOASTS, JUNE 12, 1985

President Reagan

Prime Minister and Mrs. Gandhi and other distinguished guests from India, it's a pleasure to have you here. Yours is among the most ancient of cultures and ours is one of the youngest. Ours is, however, the oldest constitutional democracy and yours is relatively new--38 years of age. Although young, Indian democracy has achieved strength and maturity, and today I have found that's also true of India's Prime Minister, who's just 3 years older than independent India.

And, Mr. Prime Minister, I'm happy to report to all present this evening that although a few years separate us--just a few--[laughter]--we hit it off, and just as with relations between our countries, I predict good things ahead.

You were recently quoted as saying about our two countries that basically we stand for the same things--freedom, democracy, independence. And I'm sure that our meetings today reinforce that observation. To paraphrase Tolstoy, undemocratic societies are all undemocratic in their own way, but democratic societies are all alike. And so it is with India and the United States; we are ultimately so similar. And yet like family members, we often find it hard to communicate. Today we opened up personal channels of communication that will serve our countries well.

India and the United States have enormous strengths on which we can draw in seeking to improve our relations. Democracies have valuable experience in reconciling differing points of view within their own national societies. This is particularly true in our great nations, both mosaics of diverse cultures, religions, and languages. And the key to our success domestically is dialogue--the quality of careful listening and serious speaking on to another. Dialogue can be the key to better understanding between our nations as well.

Our meetings this week build upon the working relationship established by your late mother. India and the United States have just begun to write the history of our relations. As the magnificent Festival of India will illuminate, you have enriched the world with beauty, culture, science, and philosophy. Perhaps your most precious gift to us has been the many Indians who have become proud citizens of our country. Some are here tonight, and they embody the human bond that is between us.

Being the "Year of India" in America, your visit and the Festival of India couldn't have been better timed. We have today set out an agenda for deepening our cooperation across a broad spectrum of issues ranging from political to economic and scientific.

This afternoon our two nations agreed to extend by an additional 3 years the very successful science and technology initiative launched as a result of my meetings with the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1982. This is one example--an important example--of the kind of cooperation that bodes well for the future of Indo-U.S. relations.

Let us move forward together. And with the greatest of admiration for you and the great nation you lead, I propose a toast to Indo-American friendship. I

Prime Minister Gandhi

I feel privileged to be in this historic house once again. My wife and I are grateful for the warm and generous words you have spoken about India and about your meeting with my mother.

I recall the esteem that she had for you. I recall, also, the last time she was here, a wish that you had then expressed about holding a Festival of India has come true. It is good of you to dedicate that festival to Indira Gandhi's memory. We appreciate the special interest Mrs. Reagan has taken in it as patron of the U.S. national committee.

Every encounter between the peoples of the United States and India is an essay in understanding. It provides an opportunity for the reaffirmation of our commitment to personal liberty, to the rule of law, and to free expression. We both are rather outspoken people, not know for keeping quiet about what we feel and what we believe. But being candid with each other is a measure of the stability of our relationship. Both of us are animated by that capricious tolerance which marks the democratic spirit. It is one of the reasons why, in spite of some differences on policies and particulars, a firm people-to-people relationship endures between us.

It is in that spirit that we had our conversation today, at which we discussed our assessments and concerns; you have referred to some. I mentioned to you about or apprehensions at the growing militarism around the region around India, which is increasing our burdens. We have always been against outside presences and pressures, which can lead to instability. To reduce tensions in South Asia, India has taken several initiatives with its neighbors. But the success of our efforts depends very much upon what the big powers do in our region in pursuit of interests. A stable, united, peaceful India. I should think, is in everyone's interest.

That is the India we are engaged in developing. For that purpose, we need peace in our neighborhood; we need peace in the world. We desire a global partnership for socioeconomic development, for the satisfaction of human needs, for the promotion of mutual understanding, and for the prevention of war.

Development and peace are closely linked. If disarmament is important for developed countries, it is even more relevant for the developing. We are appalled at the destructive fire that men have built over the years. We are concerned about the new dimensions in the arms race. The very survival of makind today rests in the hands of a very few countries, leaving mankind to wait in fear and hope.

Six nations, including India, recently issued an appeal for disarmament. Any positive steps taken toward disarmament will be acclaimed and supported by India, the nonaligned community, and by peoples all over the world.

We welcome the negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union at Geneva and hope that their deliberations will lead to positive results. Nonalignment has been a positive force for peace; it stands for friendship and cooperation with all. Any nation's independence must include the option to steer clear of block identification. One friendship need not be at the cost of another. We want to enlarge cooperation between our two countries in numerous fields.

India today is poised for greater growth. We have taken up plans and policies to generate new employment in our rural areas and to harness the productive energies of our young. We want the nation to benefit from the enterprise latent in our people. Growth has to be carefully calibrated so that in enlarging national production, it redresses regional imbalances and ensures social justice. This is indeed the basis of planning within our democratic system.

In three decades, we have tried to catch up with what others have achieved in a century or more. We have narrowed the industrial and technological gap. Our seventh plan envisages an investment of $150 billion. We need new technology in a big way. A good part of it we will develop ourselves, but we must necessarily acquire the most advanced knowledge wherever it is generated.

The United States is preeminently the land of high technology. Recently, our two countries have reached an understanding on transfer of high technology; these arrangements must be worked out with great speed.

One of your great predecessors, Franklin Roosevelt, had said, "The only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today." These words bring out the spirit of striving which marks America. Each generation must reestablish freedom and justice; each generation must respond to new situations. There is just enough time to dip in time's refreshing river. Situations change, peoples change, good ideas become dull and unexciting; sometimes they undergo distortion.

The great personalities who created modern India--Mahatma Gandhi, Jawarahal Nehru, Indira Gandhi--have taught us to be humble and firm and to persist. Our ancient book, The Bhagavad-Gita, told us, "You have a right only to do your duty, not to the fruits thereof." In that spirit, we shall strive.

I thank you again for your warm welcome and generous hospitality. We hope that you will give us the pleasure of welcoming you and Mrs. Reagan in India.

I now request you to join me in a toast to the health of President and Mrs. Reagan, to the prosperity of the American people, and to growing cooperation between our two countries in the interest of our peoples and in the cause of a better world.

COPYRIGHT 1985 U.S. Government Printing Office
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