LD RAO 4 LST

Turning to Afghanistan, Rao said the recent attacks on
Indians were aimed at forcing India out of the war-torn nation
and ruled out scaling down New Delhi's operations there.

"We are not scaling down our operations in Afghanistan,
we are taking all necessary security measures to safeguard
Indian lives there," she said in response to a question.
Rao said there was "no quick solution" to the Af-Pak
situation and "it was important for international community,
in its own interest, to stay the present course for as long as
it was necessary."
About Sino-India ties, she said the relationship has
improved significantly in the last two decades and the two
neighbours are discussing ways to resolve their border issue.
"The rise of China and the rise of India has become an
object of world attention. I think, in both the countries, we
see a competitive edge but we also see a greater degree of
collaboration between the two counties," Rao said. "There is
peace on our borders with China."
On the Indo-US relationship, she said the conclusion of
the civil nuclear Agreement in 2008 was "a major definitive
milestone" in bilateral ties.
The implementation of the deal is "proceeding smoothly
and satisfactorily", she said. "We are in the process of
operationalising the agreement through close coordination
between our two governments."
The nuclear liability bill is likely to be introduced in
India Parliament after the recess, Rao -- who is set to meet
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, National Security
Advisor James Jones and Under Secretary of State for Political
Affairs Bill Burns -- said replying to a query. PTI LKJ
KAB


The information contained in this electronic message and any attachments to this
message are intended for the exclusive
use of the addressee(s) and may contain proprietary, confidential or privileged
information. If you are not the intended
recipient, you should not disseminate, distribute or copy this e-mail. Please
notify the sender immediately and destroy
all copies of this message and any attachments contained in it.