- News>
- India
Rocca arrives on week-long visit
New Delhi, Sept 10: US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca arrived here past midnight on a week-long trip for talks on a host of bilateral, regional and international issues, including the Iraq situation and West Asia crisis.
New Delhi, Sept 10: US Assistant Secretary of State Christina Rocca arrived here past midnight on a week-long trip for talks on a host of bilateral, regional and international issues, including the Iraq situation and West Asia crisis.
Other subjects of mutual concern would also come up for discussion, an American Embassy spokesman said here today.
Rocca begins her engagements with a meeting with joint secretary in external affairs ministry (in-charge, Pakistan affairs) Arun Singh, which would be followed by interactions with Jayant Prasad (Americas) and territorial heads of other countries in the region. She will also call Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal. Rocca's visit takes place at a time when the fate of the us draft resolution on Iraq at the UN is still uncertain amid indications that New Delhi is not inclined to send its troops to the war-ravaged country under the present circumstances.
"This is the latest of the series of meetings between officials of the two countries growing out of the 2001 agreement between President Bush and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to hold regular senior level consultations," the spokesman said.
Observing that Rocca was in India for such a dialogue in September last year, he said on this trip, she had no plans of visiting any other country in South Asia.
Asked whether Rocca would press India to send troops to Iraq to participate in the stabilisation force, the spokesman said "that is not the objective of the visit". He, however, added that the Iraq situation is expected to figure in the parleys. France and Germany have sought significant changes in the US draft resolution seeking establishment of a multinational force under American control in Iraq as the UN Security Council began discussions on it.
Apart from the two countries, India and Syria, besides Turkey - the only Arab member of the 15-member council - demand much greater role for the UN than envisaged in the American proposal even as Britain, Spain and Mexico support the resolution.
India's official stand has been that it could consider sending troops to Iraq if there was an explicit UN mandate.
A variety of factors have contributed to government's unwillingness to make such a move at this juncture. One is casualties of Indian soldiers having political repercussions on the upcoming assembly elections.
Another aspect weighing in the minds of the Vajpayee government is the political mileage that the opposition, which has been accusing it of bowing to the us pressure, would seek to derive from such a step.
The developments in the Middle East peace process are also expected to figure in the parleys during the visit which coincides with the historic trip by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
The latest round of violence in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and its impact on the peace process is also expected to come up during the parleys.
During the discussions, Rocca is likely to be briefed by her Indian interlocutors on the peace initiative taken by Vajpayee as also New Delhi's continued concerns on Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism. Bureau Report
Rocca begins her engagements with a meeting with joint secretary in external affairs ministry (in-charge, Pakistan affairs) Arun Singh, which would be followed by interactions with Jayant Prasad (Americas) and territorial heads of other countries in the region. She will also call Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal. Rocca's visit takes place at a time when the fate of the us draft resolution on Iraq at the UN is still uncertain amid indications that New Delhi is not inclined to send its troops to the war-ravaged country under the present circumstances.
"This is the latest of the series of meetings between officials of the two countries growing out of the 2001 agreement between President Bush and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to hold regular senior level consultations," the spokesman said.
Observing that Rocca was in India for such a dialogue in September last year, he said on this trip, she had no plans of visiting any other country in South Asia.
Asked whether Rocca would press India to send troops to Iraq to participate in the stabilisation force, the spokesman said "that is not the objective of the visit". He, however, added that the Iraq situation is expected to figure in the parleys. France and Germany have sought significant changes in the US draft resolution seeking establishment of a multinational force under American control in Iraq as the UN Security Council began discussions on it.
Apart from the two countries, India and Syria, besides Turkey - the only Arab member of the 15-member council - demand much greater role for the UN than envisaged in the American proposal even as Britain, Spain and Mexico support the resolution.
India's official stand has been that it could consider sending troops to Iraq if there was an explicit UN mandate.
A variety of factors have contributed to government's unwillingness to make such a move at this juncture. One is casualties of Indian soldiers having political repercussions on the upcoming assembly elections.
Another aspect weighing in the minds of the Vajpayee government is the political mileage that the opposition, which has been accusing it of bowing to the us pressure, would seek to derive from such a step.
The developments in the Middle East peace process are also expected to figure in the parleys during the visit which coincides with the historic trip by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
The latest round of violence in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and its impact on the peace process is also expected to come up during the parleys.
During the discussions, Rocca is likely to be briefed by her Indian interlocutors on the peace initiative taken by Vajpayee as also New Delhi's continued concerns on Pakistan-sponsored cross-border terrorism. Bureau Report