Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Navtej Sarna told a press conference that the Indo-US Global Issues Forum set up last year concluded a five-day inter-ministerial meeting in New Delhi on Friday.

US Assistant Seceretary of State for Oceans, Environment and Scientific Affairs John Turner led the US delegation to Delhi from July 7 to 11.

"At the end of the forum, the two governments decided to support efforts to enhance science and technology cooperation. To this end they agreed to discuss a new umbrella India-US science and technology agreement," he said.

A joint statement released here said the two countries also planned to work together towards the prevention, control and elimination of infectious diseases, including AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and polio.

"The two sides also agreed to expand cooperation in developing and commercialising cleaner and more efficient energy technologies," the statement said.

In June, India participated in the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum in the United States which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by finding new technologies to clean up fossil fuels.

The forum groups together Australia, Brazil, Britain, Canada, China, Colombia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Norway and Russia along with India and the United States,

US carbon dioxide emissions, which are considered a culprit in global warming, increased 1.3 percent in 2002, according to a preliminary government estimate released by the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

SPACE.WIRE