Obama will not 'knock heads together' on Kashmir

It is natural for the US to more closely align with India than with China, senior US administration officials said while outlining President Barack Obama’s visit to the country early next month.

The officials said the US was able to better synchronise its strategies, vision and goals with a democracy like India and the two countries have been having a “regular dialogue” on “East Asian issues” for a year.

Obama, who visited China last year, will, however, skip the country on his current trip of India, Indonesia, Korea and Japan.

The administration officials, who were explaining the priorities of
Obama’s first visit to India in a media interaction in Washington, did not deny the media’s suggestion that the US was trying to ‘cultivate’ India as a counterweight to a rising China.

The officials also did not deny that the US is in talks with India to install a “missile defence system” — an array of US anti-missile missiles — on Indian soil.

Ben Rhodes, deputy national security adviser in the Obama
administration, said the United States has strategic interests in the Indian Ocean, the Pacific, South Asia and Central Asia — all the areas adjoining China.

To firmly establish itself in these areas, Rhodes said, a “deeper engagement” with India is a must for the US.

Rhodes said it was no coincidence that Obama had restricted his itinerary to only the democratic countries in Asia.

“We’re sending a very clear message: the United States sees itself as an Asian power, see ourselves as a Pacific power, and intend to significantly increase and deepen our engagement in the region. And, again, India is fundamental to that effort,” Rhodes said, speaking to reporters in Washington.

Rhodes, however, refused to confirm whether the US would support India in its bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

"It’s a very complicated issue that involves international architecture in many countries," he said.

He, however, dismissed the suggestion that the president was likely to 'knock heads together' on the dispute over Kashmir between India and Pakistan.

"We do support efforts by India and Pakistan to pursue a dialogue with one another, so we'll express support for that, as we always do," he said, when asked whether Obama would play a more active role in sorting out the dispute.