Tuesday, July 19, 2011 – U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived in New Delhi late Monday to meet with Indian officials.
Early Tuesday, she held security and counter terrorism talks Tuesday with Indian officials as the two countries try to broaden their relationship and manage mutual concerns about Pakistan and Afghanistan.
She also met India’s National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon for closed door talks Tuesday morning.
That meeting kicked off a day of discussions with senior Indian officials. The talks are a new round of U.S.-India strategic dialogue established last year to deepen ties between the world’s oldest and largest democracies.
A number of other U.S officials were also accompanying Mrs. Clinton. The officials said, the talks would focus primarily on U.S. plans in Afghanistan, India’s strained ties with arch-rival neighbor Pakistan and economic and trade issues.
Clinton’s visit comes less than a week after coordinated bombings in India’s commercial hub of Mumbai killed 19 people on July 13. India has alleged Pakistani involvement in an earlier devastating 2008 attack in Mumbai.
US officials and political analysts say that Mrs Clinton is also likely to press for better ties between India and Pakistan.
Karl Inderfurth, a former senior State Department official said, “She will encourage India to do all it can to engage Pakistan, to find areas where they might be able to break down some of their barriers and build some kind of confidence in each other.”
According to reports, Mrs Clinton’s visit will also seek to expand cooperation between the two countries – from trade and educational exchanges to anti-terror measures.
The U.S. is seeking greater access for American companies in India. It wants the Indian government to amend recent legislation that could inhibit U.S. firms from investing in India’s civilian nuclear sector, the officials said.
From New Delhi, Clinton on Wednesday will move on to the southeastern port of Chennai. She is the first secretary of state to visit that city.
In Chennai, she plans to deliver a speech on the importance of U.S.-Indian relations, the benefits of enhanced bilateral commercial ties and India’s role in South Asia and the greater Asia-Pacific region.
In June, the two countries agreed on improving access to each other’s markets – the US wants India to become one of its top 10 trading partners.
India is currently the US’s 12th largest trading partner, with bilateral trade of almost $50bn (£31bn).
