Encouraging India to re-start the stalled dialogue with Pakistan, the Obama administration has said that India is a major foreign policy priority for the US.
Terming India to be a crucial global partner of the US in the 21st century, the visiting under secretary of state William Burns, told mediapersons at the end of 40-minute meeting with the external affairs minister SM Krishna that he had ?excellent? discussions with the external affairs minister, home minister P Chidambaram and the foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon.
The visiting envoy said that he was looking forward to further deliberations on Thursday to ?chart together ambitious bilateral agenda for the next phase in the strategic partnership? between the two countries.
He had a detailed discussion with foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon on wide range of topics including Indo-US relations and situation in the region with a special focus Pakistan.
According to officials, Menon is believed to have told Burns that India is not averse to resuming dialogue with Pakistan but for that a proper atmosphere will have to be created by Islamabad. And is understood to have emphasized that talks cannot happen in an atmosphere of violence and lingering fears of terror attacks emanating from Pakistan.
That India is disappointed with Pakistan?s inaction against those behind the Mumbai attacks, which is highlighted by the release of Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, was conveyed to the visiting official.
Menon and Burns, also discussed ways to take the strategic relations forward and deliberations were held on the proposed bilateral ?End Users Agreement?.
The State Department had publicly said in Washington that during his visit to India, Burns will pitch for resumption of dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad.
He also said that both countries have come a long way and the civil nuclear agreement was a major ?accomplishment?. He said that he had been sent by President Barack Obama and secretary of state Hillary Clinton with a ?straight forward message? that India is a priority nation, he said ?I am convinced that there is a great deal we can do together.?
In this visit Buns held talks with Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon in the first formal contact between President Barack Obama?s administration and New Delhi?s recently-elected government and paved the way for Clinton?s visit.
The India-US civil nuclear accord signed last year would also on be the talks? agenda, he said. Burns is expected to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and national security advisor MK Narayanan and the home minister on Thursday.