The Hindu : PM, Advani to visit U.S.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 10, 2002

International

International

PM, Advani to visit U.S.

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

Washington AUG. 9. In a move to sustain the Indo-U.S. dialogue at higher levels, senior leaders and officials of the two countries will travel to each other's countries over the next several weeks. The Deputy Prime Minister, L. K. Advani, will visit the U.S. for community-related events beginning August 23, when he will unveil a statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in New Jersey. Mr. Advani is not coming here. Nor is he expected to have any official appointments. He will visit San Fransisco and Los Angeles, the details of which are being worked on.

Following Mr. Advani's visit, the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, will be in New York for about a week. Although the main focus of his visit is on the United Nations General Assembly debate, Mr. Vajpayee will meet the U.S. President, George W. Bush, and other heads of state and governments. He will also participate in community events.

Prior to Mr. Vajpayee's arrival, the Minister for External Affairs, Yashwant Sinha, will be in Washington at the invitation of the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell. Aside from meeting Gen. Powell, Mr. Sinha is also being scheduled for a meeting with the National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice, and senior legislators in Capitol Hill. Mr. Sinha will then travel to New York to be part of the Prime Minister's delegation.

Mr. Sinha's visit to Washington is being given a lot of importance for at least two reasons. One, the Minister, who is said to have "hit it off very good'' with Gen. Powell during the latter's recent trip to New Delhi, can be expected to build on the personal rapport. Secondly, Mr. Sinha's meetings with Gen. Powell and Dr. Rice will set the stage and the broad framework of agenda for the Bush-Vajpayee meeting in New York.

From the American side, besides the Deputy Secretary of State, Richard Armitage, who is due in India later this month, the Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia, Christina Rocca, will be in New Delhi next month to participate in the United States-India regional dialogue. The Treasury Secretary, the Deputy Secretaries of Commerce and Treasury and the Deputy Trade Representative will also visit the Capital.

Senior diplomats here argue that the discussions Gen. Powell had in New Delhi during his recent visit were "quite different'' from what was reported in the media; and that he did not go to New Delhi to "admonish, lecture or pressure" India to start a dialogue with Pakistan.

"There was a frank exchange of views without inhibitions,'' a senior diplomat said adding that Gen. Powell was in a listening mode on the ground situation and on the coming elections in Kashmir. His visit was not merely intended to discuss the situation on the Line of Control or the dialogue with Pakistan; it was in line with the broad-based agenda that factored in bilateral and and multilateral issues.

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