Speaking at the the first "Indo-United States Conference on Space Science, Applications and Commerce" on Monday in Bangalore, US Ambassador to India David C. Mulford said the conference was being held as part of the strategic partnership initiated by President Bush to expand cooperation in civilian nuclear, civilian space, hi-tech trade and missile defence.

"Implementing cooperation in these areas poses complex problems. Progress will entail understanding involving the handling of complex technologies. With goodwill and trust, we can move forward," Mulford said.