``There is a clear desire on the part of India and its leaders on signing the CTBT, but there are a variety of issues and processes to get to that result...We earnestly seek (it),'' Gepahrdt said, addressing a press conference at the end of the New Delhi leg of his India tour.He added : ``I am positive that can be achieved, I am positive the US president wants to visit'', pointing out that a CTBT signature would greatly assist such a visit.

Other Congressmen, confirming Gephardt's view, said their impression of India's position on the CTBT, after speaking to a cross-section of the Indian leadership, was that a political consensus on such a signature may still emerge. They said thatthey were not aware of any conditions New Delhi was placing on the visit, such as the complete removal of economic sanctions.Gephardt admitted that the nuclear issue was ``clearly an important issue'', but would not commit himself to prioritising it. Interestingly, he added that even as the US was concerned about proliferation, ``we very much want to involve India and others in a non-proliferation regime and a ban on testing.''

Gephardt's Opposition colleague, Republican Mark Foley from Florida, was much more outspoken. Asked whether there existed a bipartisan consensus on waiving the sanctions, Foley admitted they would be of ``gigantic importance''. He reiterated the view that in US, India had been ignored for far too long in favour of China. Gephardt, who is the minority leader in the US House of Representatives (the Democrats are in a minority in the House) agreed that the US had not paid enough attention to India. ``We need to pay more attention, we need to have more communication...to deepen, widenand strengthen the relationship'' so that both sides could avoid ``hanging up'' on particular issues.

During the team's meeting with Home Minister L K Advani, Gephardt said the Kashmir issue was raised and that Advani gave a ``hopeful'' explanation of some of its troubled history.