NEW DELHI, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- While the Bush administration moves closer to India, recent disputes on nuclear policies are being complicated by U.S. criticism of Indian energy policies.
The U.S. recently criticized India's interest in a proposed joint venture with China to develop Syria's al-Furat oil and natural gas reserves.
Under the proposed agreement, India's public sector Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd. would acquire a 37 percent share in Syria's al-Furat oil and natural gas from Petro-Canada for $573 million in a joint venture with China.
NewKerala.com reported that the Bharatiya Janata Party, or Indian People's Party, criticized the U.S. pressure, saying that India had every right to take its decisions independently. BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Our foreign affairs handling should be such that the country should not come under any pressure."
