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New Delhi
18 November 2009
American and Indian top officials, in coming days, are hoping to
finalize a framework for the expanding strategic dialogue of the two
democracies. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh heads to the United States
on Saturday for an "official state" visit. The five-day visit will
come at a time when law enforcement and intelligence officials of both
countries are holding intensive discussions on counter-terrorism.
Amid
a growing security partnership, U.S. officials say President Barack
Obama is to inform Prime Minister Singh about his decision on a U.S.
troop surge for Afghanistan.
India is anxious about the
worsening Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan, fearing that could make
neighbor and long-time rival Pakistan even more unstable.
U.S.
Ambassador Timothy Roemer, speaking at a news conference at the
American Embassy Wednesday predicted Mr. Obama and Mr. Singh will have
a "hearty and robust" discussion on regional strategy for Afghanistan
and Pakistan.
In the wake of the landmark civil nuclear deal
signed during the second Bush administration, Indian and American
officials have been working on building a closer defense relationship.
The United States has been pressing India for several years to sign a
defense logistics support agreement that would make it easier to hold
more joint military exercises, work together on regional maritime
security and to sell vital equipment to Indian forces.
Also on
the agenda during talks between the two leaders will be enhanced
counterterrorism cooperation in hopes of preventing a similar attack
like the one a year ago in Mumbai.
For days, the headline news
here has been the role two men arrested last month in Chicago may have
played in planning that attack, in which more than 160 people died.
The
U.S. Ambassador declined to discuss how Washington would react to any
extradition request by New Delhi for the suspects but he does say
investigators are in constant contact.
"We have been working
hand-to-hand, shoulder-to-shoulder, hour-by-hour in cooperating and
sharing information with India's government on a daily, weekly and
monthly basis," Ambassador Roemer said.
U.S. officials are
declining to confirm or deny that while Mr. Singh heads to Washington,
CIA director Leon Panetta will be making a return three-day visit here.
Indian reports say he will discuss the international investigation
looking into the links between the Pakistani terror outfit
Lashkar-e-Taiba and the two arrested Chicago suspects, David Coleman
Headley and Tahawwur Hussain Rana.
Embassy officials, however,
adamantly deny that any top FBI officials are to arrive here this week,
as has also been reported by Indian media outlets.
Besides
anti-terrorism and defense cooperation, Roemer says President Obama and
Prime Minister Singh will also discuss expanding a partnership on
climate change mitigation, educational programs and alleviating
poverty.
The United States is hoping to signal how highly it
values the burgeoning relationship by making Prime Minister Singh the
first visiting leader to receive full honors from the Obama
administration.
It is being billed as an "official state visit"
although India's President Pratibha Patil is the mostly ceremonial head
of state.
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