US says India destined to be a nation of global influence

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Jun 6 (PTI) Declaring that India is destined
to be a nation of global influence, the US has said bilateral
ties are moving towards "full maturity", encompassing
cooperation in areas like defence, climate change and energy
as well as on nuclear and regional geo-political issues.
"Obviously, India is on a path of ascendancy. It is
destined to be a nation of global influence," US National
Security Adviser Gen (Retd) James Jones told PTI here.
His remarks follow US President Barack Obama's statement
that India is a rising and responsible global power
"indispensable" to a future American strategy.
Jones said it is extremely important that countries like
India and the United States have "a national affinity" for one
another as expressed by the strong friendship between the two
sides, including their heads of State.
"We have converging values, we both want better lives for
our citizens and our children, we want to eliminate the
scourge of terrorism, we would like to have a better climate,
a better management of our fragile planet and nations of
influence can shape that globally.
"When there are two countries like ours that are working
together along those lines that has a huge effect in other
parts of the world for the better," Jones said.
On that scale of things, the recent successful Strategic
Dialogue, the first between India and the US at the
Cabinet-level co-chaired by Indian External Affairs Minister S
M Krishna and his counterpart Hillary Clinton, is a very
encouraging development, he said.
"The Strategic Dialogue highlights in very concrete ways
the close relationship that exists between India and the
United States; between the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) and
the President (Barack Obama), between the multiplicities of
the organs of our governments that have to do with a variety
of things," he said.
It is not just a uni-dimensional relationship but it is
much broader, Jones said. "And I think, the Strategic Dialogue
is taking the relationship to unprecedented levels of
cooperation between the two countries."
"Whether it is security or defence or energy or climate
or nuclear issues or regional geo-political issues, it's a
relationship that is moving towards full maturity," he said.
The top aide to the US President on national security
matters said the cooperation between India and the United
States is a two-way street.
"I think from day one, it has been a two way street,"
Jones said when asked how the bilateral relationship has
progressed in the field of security and counter-terrorism in
the Obama Administration.
"I think that President and the Prime Minister have laid
out a strategic approach that is based on long-term commitment
and not just short term self interest, in our case the
presence in the region," he said. PTI LKJ
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