By Arun Kumar
Washington, June 9 (IANS) Top US government officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, will participate in a Synergies Summit hosted by a premier business advocacy organisation to “reboot” US-India ties after the elections in both countries.

India’s Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, US Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke and the new US Trade Representative Ron Kirk will also attend the summit marking the US-India Business Council’s (USIBC) 34th anniversary.

The two-day Synergies Summit on June 16-17 will focus on the opportunities that will flow from inherent synergies bolstering the world’s two largest free-market democracies, it announced.

“With the historic elections in both countries now behind us, USIBC aims to ‘bang the pots and pans’ and awake both governments as to the real work that now needs to be completed in order to keep the US-India commercial and trade relationship flourishing,” said USIBC president Ron Somers.

The summit “will be closely watched and widely attended by individuals and organizations that can help the US-India relationship regain the high ground, which we have all worked so hard to achieve,” Somers said.

Already 350 business leaders have registered for attendance, including a high-level Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) executive mission being led by CII’s new president, Venu Srinivasan and CII’s chief mentor, Tarun Das.

Headed by Pepsico’s Indian American CEO, Indra K. Nooyi, USIBC represents some 310 American companies, who have presence in India. Of them 220 firms figure in the list of Fortune-500.

The star-studded event will be inaugurated at The Newseum by diplomat-author Vikas Swarup, who will receive USIBC’s 34th Anniversary Award for “Cultural Ties That Bind” for his contribution illuminating aspects of society that facilitate a deeper understanding and abiding respect for humanity.

(Arun Kumar can be contacted at arun.kumar@ians.in)