New Delhi, Feb. 6: British foreign secretary Jack Straw told commerce minister Arun Jaitley here today that there is no move in the UK to curb business process outsourcing (BPO) to India.

Straw pushed the case for lowering tariffs on Scotch whisky which is immensely popular in India. He raised several bilateral issues such as the perceived high level of tariffs on spirits and beverages and some issues pertaining to air services. He also sought greater opening of legal services as it could be mutually beneficial for both countries.

Jaitley mentioned that even at his meeting on Thursday with the Aspen group from the US he had pointed out that moves to ban outsourcing in the US were of a protectionist nature and went against the spirit of free trade. Jaitley also briefed Straw about India’s perspective on the ongoing trade negotiations and appreciated UK’s support to India’s position on key WTO issues.

He also told Straw that India could not straightaway open its doors to the agricultural sector because 650 million people in the country were dependent on it for their livelihood. “In services and in manufacturing, we are opening our doors.......if our defensive interest is accommodated, we want the negotiations to go on........We are participating actively in the multilateral forum. However, in agriculture our flexibility is limited,” he emphasised.

The UK is India’s second largest trading partner and the largest in the European Union. Bilateral trade between the two countries exceeded $5 billion in 2002-03.