US secretary of state Hillary Clinton launched a charm offensive on India during an unprecedented five-day trip, something her heavy schedule does not permit her to do very often.
Clinton can leave satisfied that she has been able to reassure New Delhi that president Barack Obama is keen to take ties with India to the next stage. At the end of the day, India was extremely satisfied with Clinton’s visit which gave shape to a new strategic dialogue. Clinton and external affairs minister SM Krishna will now meet annually at alternate capitals to take forward strategic and political ties.
Clinton underscored the importance Obama placed on relations with India by pointing out that prime minister Manmohan Singh will be the first world leader to be invited by the Obama administration on a state visit on November 24.
The two countries finally got down to agreeing on the end-use monitoring agreement, which had been hanging loose for several months. This will pave the way for procurement of defence equipment and technology from the US. They also finalised a science and technology endowment agreement, and signed a technology safeguards agreement that will permit the launch of civil or non-commercial satellites containing US components on Indian space launch vehicles.
Clinton laid to rest speculation that the US will not transfer enrichment and reprocessing technology to India after the G8 statement in Italy. “We clearly don’t oppose ENR transfers,’’ she said at a joint news conference on Monday. “We have concluded a civil nuclear agreement with India, with appropriate safeguards. There is no going back on it.’’ The US was opposed to “inappropriate transfers… there is a right way of doing such things and a wrong way,” she said, signalling that the India-US ENR transfer was not in danger.
“It has been a good PR exercise by Clinton,’’ said Naresh Chandra, former ambassador to the US. “She was here to manage perception that the US is looking more to China. She has done so successfully, everyone is happy. But apart from asking India to talk to Pakistan, which has been the US position for long, there is nothing new she has had to say.’’
Hillary spent three days in China. Some in India were peeved that she did not include India in her five-nation Asian tour, but now she seems to have made up with a vengeance. Many believe much of this is atmospherics and the US remains wishy-washy on India’s concerns.
