Obama itinerary: White House keeps everyone guessing

US President Barack Obama’s forthcoming visit could herald a new high in the geo-strategic partnership between the world’s largest democracies, a senior analyst-commentator told DNA on Monday.

“But it is amazing how there is little excitement — even in the media — over an occasion pregnant with possibilities.” He was at a session at the United State’s Information Service auditorium where excitement quickly transformed into ennui when the press was told that there would be no video on the press conference being conducted by senior American diplomats in Delhi.

Seeing no arrangements to ask questions, reporters started filing out once a senior official announced, “The White House is still to finalise the itinerary. It will be a while before it is made public.”

The focus of Obama’s India visit will be on what the two countries can do together on a host of issues from health to defence and trade to climate change, a top US government official said. “We have some great things going since president Obama met prime minister Manmohan Singh in Washington,” he said, referring to the state visit in November 2009.

The US had projected its bilateral trade with India to touch more than $50 billion this year. “Between 2004 and 2008, our two-way trade doubled to $43 billion. There was some drop in 2009. But the way ahead is encouraging,” he said.

Defence, climate change, science and technology, education, health, clean energy, trade, market access, and high-tech exports are high on Obama’s agenda. “What concerns the US today, concerns India as well,” the official said. “And what concerns India, concerns the US.”

When India’s concerns about US military support to Pakistan being misused were raised, another official said, “The US and India have similar concerns in the region and globally on counter-terrorism, cyber security and strategic prevention. This is a growing realisation in the US too. And this is the reason why the US has held the maximum number of joint military exercises only with India!”

Several foreign affairs experts are sceptical of having close military ties with the US because no one knows for sure that the US will not sacrifice Indian interests while it seeks to bolster rival Pakistan to combat Islamist militants.

The US official, however, insisted that containing terror and terrorism was at the forefront of understanding between both countries.

The convergence of views on Afghanistan is a pointer, he said. “The US wants Afghanistan to be stable, democratic and free of interference from neighbours. We see India echoing these views. For us, our ties with India are not limited to the context of its immediate neighbourhood.” India hopes that Obama would end US sanctions on technology exports. The sanctions were imposed after India exploded its latest nuclear devices in 1998. The official said that it would be on the agenda.

Apart from being one of the largest middle-class buyers market, many see the renewed US interest in India linked to its being one of the world’s largest arms importers. With the government set to spend more than $30 billion in the next five years to upgrade its Soviet-supplied armoury, it is a key market for US defence firms like the Seattle-based Boeing and Lockheed Martin. Without referring to the competition from the Europeans and Russians to sell India 126 fighter jets in a deal worth $11 billion, the official said, “The arms deal will be definitely on the agenda as India has shown a keen interest.”