Thursday, July 21 2005 11:06 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: India and the United States (US) are in an advanced stage of negotiations to strengthen cooperation in space and related activities, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said yesterday (July 20, 2005).

The two countries will be working together in this field, Singh said while addressing the National Press Club here.

Asked about India's views on global warming, he said, it has the obligation to work with like-minded countries to protect and safeguard life support systems on the planet.

The Prime Minister said, "The problem of environment could not be solved by perpetuating the poverty of developing countries. We have to find credible ways and means of reconciling the imperatives of development and growth with the imperatives of environmental sustainability and that is a challenge which the world community must face collectively."

To another question, he said there were no restrictions in India on import of gold and silver.

"India today is a market economy for all practical purposes," he said.