New York/ New Delhi, July 15: The most powerful foreign affairs chief in the world, Hillary Clinton, arrives in India on Friday to preserve the momentum of India-US ties, built deftly during George Bush’s presidency. The visit will give New Delhi glimpses into Clinton’s working style and the Obama administration’s vision of “US-India 3.0.”
As secretary Clinton recovers from a shattered elbow, she is getting her second wind this week as she prepares for a major foreign-policy speech on Wednesday and trips to India and Thailand for the annual meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Clinton, a longtime India friend, nixed pressure from bureaucrats to include Pakistan on this trip.
New Delhi will appreciate Clinton messaging the “de-hyphenation” of the relationship. India is already sore that the war in Afghanistan and instability in Pakistan have diverted attention from it. Pakistani diplomats say Clinton is now expected to make a trip to Islamabad in October.
“I am going to India Thursday night for a couple of days of consultation. We are starting a strategic dialogue between myself and the new minister of foreign affairs,” Clinton said at the US Agency for International Development.
Clinton arrives in Mumbai on Friday and travels to New Delhi over the weekend. It is unclear whether she will meet prime minister Manmohan Singh on Monday before heading out to attend the ASEAN forum, which ends on July 23.
During Clinton’s passage to India, the two countries are expected to sign an end-user monitoring agreement that will aid high-end defence sales to India. US companies are competing to get a piece of the $30 billion India is expected to spend on military procurement in the next five years.
A technology safeguards agreement on space launches is also in the works. Clinton will press India for progress on the nuclear energy deal. Talks on a reprocessing agreement with the US are likely to start at the end of the month, after her visit.
Clinton is likely to be personable, quick on her feet and listen attentively to New Delhi’s concerns about terrorism emanating from Pakistan. However, she will also be carrying a message from Obama and US lawmakers urging India to reduce tensions with Pakistan.
–Agencies