Days after ruling out any 'new inquiries' against Union Carbide in the wake of the Bhopal court verdict, the US Saturday said it is prepared to give "fair consideration" to any fresh request from India for extradition of the company's former chief Warren Anderson over the 1984 gas disaster.
"We have an extradition treaty with India. And if India makes an extradition request to us, we will give it fair consideration," State Department spokesman P J Crowley said.
If the government of India makes such a request, the US will "carefully evaluate" it, he told reporters in response to a question.
Crowley, however, said he was not in a position to verify whether the US had already received such requests or whether it had responded to them, arguing that all such issues were confidential.
A day after the Bhopal court convicted and sentenced to two years former Union Carbide India Chairman Keshub Mahindra and six others on Monday, the US had ruled out any 'new inquiries' against the company and also hoped that the verdict would bring "closure" to the families of the gas leak victims.
On that day, responding to a specific question on whether there was a request by India for Anderson's extradition, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert
Blake had said: "As a matter of policy, we never discuss extradition, so I cannot comment on that."
Crowley Saturday also noted that it was hard to draw a comparison between the Bhopal gas tragedy that left over 15,000 dead and the BP's oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico now, saying the American companies were "very mindful and respectful" of the rules of the land when they operated overseas.
"It is hard to necessarily draw a direct
comparison to-- in the case of Bhopal, there was a settlement realised a number of years ago... though I don't express that I have all
the facts here in front of me," Crowley said.
"You have an ongoing situation here. BP, as a private company, has stepped up and indicated that it will take its own steps, since it owns the well, to stop the leak and to pay for the mitigation of the impact," the State Department
spokesman said.
He said he would not "necessarily feel comfortable comparing what happened in the mid-80s and what's happening today."
Meanwhile, Anderson's wife Lillian said the family had nothing else to say in the matter. She also said that her husband was not well.
Early this week, US Congressman Frank Pallone, the founder and former co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, had supported Anderson's extradition demand.
"All those responsible for this disaster, including the former chairman of Union Carbide Warren Anderson, should stand trial in India and receive punishment that reflects the devastation and pain they have caused for thousands of people.
"Warren Anderson absolutely deserves to be extradited from the US and punished for the full extent of his crimes. As Chairman of Union Carbide at the time of the Bhopal gas disaster, Anderson was ultimately responsible for his
company's actions," Pallone said.