Rao invited to Washington for talks on bilateral issues

Lalit K Jha

Washington, Sep 19 (PTI) In a special gesture, the Obama
Administration has invited India Foreign Secretary Nirupama
Rao to Washington on Monday for discussions on bilateral
matters and issues of mutual interest despite its
pre-occupation with the crucial UN General Assembly session in
New York.

Rao has been invited by her American counterpart William
Burns, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, sources
told PTI.

They said that Rao would come to Washington from New York
for a day to attend the meeting with Burns, scheduled for
Monday, and then return to the Big Apple to continue with her
regular schedule at the United Nations. Burns too would
possibly head back to New York.

At a time when the entire Obama Administration is in New
York, including President Barack Obama and Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton, to attend the annual UN General Assembly
session, the invitation to Rao from Burns is being seen as a
"major gesture" from the US.

It is also a clear reflection of the strengthening of
relationship between the two countries, as normally when the
US President and Secretary of State are in New York, the
Administration as a normal rule does not encourage leaders and
diplomats from other countries to come to Washington.

In this case, the invitation has come from Burns
himself, who is keen to take ahead the agenda of both Obama
and Clinton to take the Indo-US relationship to the next
level.

Burns had visited New Delhi and Mumbai on June 10-13,
during which he had met senior government officials and
private sector leaders to discuss a broad agenda to further
strengthen partnership between the two countries.

Noting that India was a major foreign policy priority for
the US, Burns had told reporters after his meeting with
External Affairs Minister S M Krishna that the Obama
Administration considered India to be a crucial global partner
for the US in the 21st century.

"We have come a long way together in recent years,
including, in particular, the civil nuclear agreement which
was a very significant accomplishment. But I am convinced that
there is a great deal more that we can do together," he said.
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