Ahead of US secretary of state Hillary Clinton?s arrival in Mumbai, the new US envoy to India, Timothy J Roemer, arrived here Thursday night. The Senate confirmed the nomination of Roemer, a former House of Representatives member, last week.

According to an official release from the US embassy, New Delhi, Roemer will only take over his position officially after he presents his credentials to President Prathiba Patil. He arrived early to be present during the visit of secretary Clinton.

A six-term Congressman from Indiana, 52 year-old Roemer is known for his moderate, bipartisan politics and national security experience. He will succeed David Mulford, who played a key role in pushing the India-US nuclear deal during the second term of the George W Bush presidency.

Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on July 7, Ambassador-designate Roemer said, “Our relationship with India is a good news story. And while our relationship has gone through different stages, we are certainly moving ahead on an upward trajectory. This is not a zero sum game with winners and losers but a positive sum game-with India as a strong, stable global democracy increasing peace and prosperity for all.”

Prior to President Barack Obama nominating him as Ambassador to India in May, Roemer was the president of the Center for National Policy (CNP), a moderate think-tank in Washington, DC. He represented the third district of Indiana for six terms as a US Congressman, from 1991 to 2003.

The new American envoy served as a member of the 9/11 Commission, as well as the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Proliferation & Terrorism. He also served on the Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Presidential Task Force on Combating the Ideology of Radical Extremism, and the National Parks Second Century

Commission.

As a distinguished scholar at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, he worked with members of Congress and staff to improve public policy outcomes by teaching on the legislative branch and policy analysis, said the release.