United States Ambassador Timothy J Roemer on Friday hailed India's response to leaks by WikiLeaks of the secret U.S. Embassy memos.
At a press conference here, Mr. Roemer said, “the Indian government has been highly responsible, very constructive, extremely mature in their comments and reactions.”
The Ambassador said, “By releasing these documents, WikiLeaks puts at risk the cause of human rights, the lives and work of dedicated individuals, and threatens our ability to conduct essential private and diplomatic dialogue.”
Asked about the possible adverse impact on India's attempts to become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in the light of the disclosure of one of the diplomatic cables in which the U.S. was stated to have viewed India as a “self-appointed frontrunner” in the race for a permanent seat, he said what one should look at was the actions and announcements of President Barrack Obama when he visited India last month and not at titbits and streams of information.
Referring to Mr. Obama's declaration of support to India becoming a permanent member of the UNSC, he said the President's actions and decisions “speak boldly” of the U.S. policies. The partnership of the U.S. with India was not only indispensable but also defining.
Explaining how the U.S. viewed the growing importance of India in a range of areas such as countering terrorism, nuclear non-proliferation, trade and commerce and green technologies, Mr. Roemer said, “We want to look for opportunities to combine their talents and leverage their expertise to make the world more peaceful and prosperous.” What was important was “not what it is said [in the WikiLeaks disclosures] but what the President did when he was here.”
Sri Lankan Tamils
On the U.S. stand on the Sri Lankan Tamils issue, the envoy gave an account of his government's help to Colombo in rehabilitation of internally displaced persons. The U.S. wanted Sri Lanka to move towards reconciliation, greater peace and prosperity.
Referring to the 26th anniversary of the Bhopal tragedy, he said this was one of the worst industrial accidents in human history.
