New Delhi, March 30 :     The US is likely to dangle the Brownback-Harkins Amendment carrot, which seeks to suspend sanctions against India for five years, to get a possible time-bound assurance from Delhi about signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and harmonising its exports control system with that of Washington?s. India has said it will not ?stand in the way? of the CTBT when it comes up for review this September. This, in effect, means Delhi will sign and ratify the treaty, provided all the other 43 nations do likewise. But in return, India has asked the US to lift the sanctions imposed on it following last year?s Pokhran nuclear tests and also to give a commitment which will give Delhi access to advanced technologies available in the West. In a statement issued at the end of the Indo-US talks on exports control, the Indian foreign ministry said: ?The talks were useful and positive and hold the prospect of continued cooperation in this area.? The official-level talks ended here this afternoon on predictable lines, with neither willing to give any assurance which can be seen as a major progress from their earlier round of deliberations in November last year. The Indian delegation also conveyed its strong objection to the Entities List that blacklists over 200 Indian companies and research organisations. The US suggestion that Delhi ?harmonise? its existing system with Washington?s by including more chemicals and equipment from the Australian Group and other regional arrangements was politely rejected by India, which made it clear that no progress on this front can be made unless Washington prunes the Entities List and gives it access to advanced technologies. A high-level delegation of US lawmakers led by Democrat Richard Gephardt, the minority leader in the House of Representatives, is scheduled to arrive here tonight for talks with senior Indian leaders spread over four days. The delegation, dominated by Democrats, also has two Republicans. Apart from Gephardt, a well-known and eloquent leader, the delegation has key voices in US foreign policy, including Nancy Pelosi, Mark Foley, William Delahunt and Jim McDermott. Among those the US lawmakers will meet are home minister L.K. Advani, defence minister George Fernandes, finance minister Yashwant Sinha, the Prime Minister?s principal secretary Brajesh Mishra and foreign secretary K. Raghunath. Minister of state for foreign affairs Vasundhara Raje is scheduled to host a lunch for the American visitors. A meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi is also on the cards. But the US Congressmen will not get a chance to meet Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee and foreign minister Jaswant Singh, neither of whom will be in the city during their stay. A number of issues like the attacks on Christians, the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, the current state of Sino-Indian relations and the Indo-Pak dialogue along with the measures to improve the Indian economy will come up for discussion. But the current trend in Indo-US relations and steps required to improve it will be the main focus of the deliberations. One of India?s main complaints against the US has been the sanctions that remain in place and have worked as an impediment in normalising relations. The Congressmen will try and explain how the Brownback-Harkins Amendment, recently introduced in the Senate, is a marked improvement on the one in the House last year which gives the US President the authority to waive the sanctions for a year. The new amendment, if passed, will give a waiver for five years. One of the main tasks of the US team will be to assess the mood of the Indian leadership on whether it was willing to give any firm commitment on signing the CTBT ? which Washington feels will help President Bill Clinton in getting it ratified by the Senate ? and improve its exports control system further to take care of the post-Pokhran scenario.