Stating that nuclear tests were a `comma' in bilateral relations, it urged Prime Minister John Howard to head a ministerial delegation to India to promote the business interests.

``India has been described as a country with no full-stops and the event (nuclear tests) has certainly put a comma in the Australia-India relationship at both political and commercial level. But the committee believes that Australia must continue to develop and build its trade and investment relationship with India,'' the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, said in its report.

The report is likely to be tabled in the House this week.

In the 15-month report titled `Australia's Trade Relationship With India,' the committee chairperson Nick Dondas, also asked thegovernment to open a The report said Australia was not alone in recognising India as a growth market and a country which offered mutual commercial benefit, adding that the US, the UK and many other countries had been actively pursuing trade and investment opportunities with a number of high-level visits to India.

``In the light of the activity of Australia's competitors and the recent Indian federal election, the committee emphasises in strong enough terms the urgent need for a visit to be made at the senior federal Minister level to India,'' the committee said.

``Countries like the United States and Germany are skilled marketeers. They are very adept at building trade and investment links with India and utilise trade missions at the highest level to achieve success-the imprimatur of government is often the key to success.''

The committee also advised that the Australiangovernment, as a matter of priority, reintroduce a mixed credit or soft facility as part of its strategy to strengthen australia'strade and investment performance. ``There is no doubt that successful Australian investment in India has been gained through the ability to provide concessional finance for projects. It is a cut throat market to win overseas investment projects and Australia's competitors are providing concessional finance which means that Australia will lose valuable export opportunities and the opportunity to develop trade and investment networks.''

The report observed Australia's trade with India had nearly doubled over the last six years and the two-way trade figures for 1997 alone showed a 23 per cent increase on the previous year's figures. Major Australian exports to India were coal, wool, copper, base metals and ores, diamonds, wheat, manufactures and vegetables.

Australian imports from India in 1997, totalled a 637 million Australian dollar -doubling in value since 1992. The increase was due to the steady growth in exports oftextiles, clothing and footwear products, and fruit and nuts.

The report said that oncurrent trends it was expected that by the year 2000, India would be among Australia's top ten trading partners and Australia was already one of the top ten investors in the sub-continent. From a low base in 1991 of 21 million Australian dollar, Sydney investment in New Delhi had grown to a figure in 1995 of 650 million Australian dollar which placed Australia in the 7th position as a source of foreign investment approvals, it noted.

BONN: Despite economic sanctions, german industry remained bullish and upbeat on investment prospects in India with a majority of investors viewing the retaliatory measure as an ``unfriendly act.''