US tries to show India it cares

[June 01, 2010]  WASHINGTON (AP) -- Terrorism and climate change will top discussions at high-level U.S.-India meetings this week. But the real diplomatic test will be whether the United States can ease India's hurt feelings.

Nearly a year and a half into Barack Obama's presidency, Indians still worry their country is taking a back seat to rivals China and Pakistan in U.S. foreign policy priorities.

The United States cares about New Delhi's feelings because India is an important player in many of the global issues the United States wants solved. The nuclear-armed country is seen as crucial to the U.S.-led fight against extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as a counterweight to powerful China and as a big part of settling world trade and climate change deals.

And so, in the latest in a string of attempts to show India it cares, the Obama administration will hold the inaugural U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue from Tuesday through Friday. If India's skeptical reaction after past meetings with U.S. officials is any gauge, U.S. diplomats will have their work cut out for them.

Even before his inauguration, Obama faced big expectations in India, where his predecessor, former President George W. Bush, was celebrated for overseeing the transformation of what had long been a tense relationship. Bush shepherded a landmark accord to share civilian nuclear energy with formerly shunned India, making it the cornerstone of a new strategic relationship.

Without a high-profile initiative for Obama and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to pursue, however, and with difficult economic and domestic issues consuming both governments, a malaise has set in, and Indians have raised alarms that their country's profile has slipped.

Lalit Mansingh, a former Indian ambassador to the United States, said that even with all the countries' links, "this doubt still persists as to whether the Americans are taking India seriously as a global player."

India's powerful economy, vibrant democracy and political, cultural and historical importance in South Asia make it a natural partner for the United States, something Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will likely try to hammer home when she plays host to Indian Foreign Minister Sri S. M. Krishna and other senior officials at the State Department.

Obama signaled India's importance when he welcomed Singh to the White House in the first state visit of his presidency. Clinton visited India in July. Obama plans a trip later this year, and on Friday he called Singh to preview this week's meetings.

Ashley J. Tellis, who advised the Bush administration on the nuclear deal, said this week's talks are a chance to make a "dent in this veil of pessimism that seems to have descended on the bilateral relationship, especially in India."

Still, despite the cooperation, meetings and visits, India wants more from Washington, including stronger pressure on Pakistan to fight terrorists.

A possible sticking point this week could be the case of David Coleman Headley, an American citizen who has pleaded guilty to scouting Mumbai before the deadly 2008 terrorist attacks that New Delhi blamed on Pakistani militants. Robert Blake, the top U.S. diplomat for South Asia, said Friday the countries are cooperating, but he wouldn't discuss whether the United States will let India interview Headley.

[Associated Press; By FOSTER KLUG]

Associated Press writer Muneeza Naqvi contributed to this report from New Delhi.

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