M A I N   N E W S

Decision on Iraq troops not to hit ties: Blackwill
N. Bhadran Nair

New Delhi, July 9
The USA says its relation with India is not going to be affected, even if New Delhi decides to stay away from the stabilisation process in Iraq. The US Ambassador to India Mr Robert Blackwill, however, said it was a strategic opportunity for India.

“This is a strategic opportunity for it, but if it doesn’t, it is not going to damage the Indo-US relationship,” said Blackwill.

He said the Indo-US relationship is in steep ascendance and will go in steep ascendance, whether or not India contributes its troops or not.

The envoy denied criticism that the USA was adopting different yardsticks to fight terrorism. He said though his country had been working with India to root out terrorism in the region there had not been complete success.

“There continues to be terrorism against India which emanates from Pakistan. I wouldn’t say we have had complete success. But we are not going to flag it down or end it permanently. We have our stamina and we work on this problem virtually every day,” he said.

Mr Blackwill said the third initiative of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had created political space, which gave an opportunity to lower tension and begin a real diplomatic dialogue between the two sides.

“Let me say that I think the initiative the Prime Minister voiced in Srinagar was quite remarkable. I believe it was an act of great statesmanship on his part to open the door, the third time for reconciliation between India Pakistan,” he said.

Mr Blackwill has opted out of his two-year diplomatic stint in India and will be returning home towards the end of this month to resume his academic pursuits. He scoffed at some reports that his premature departure had something to do with a differing perception with the Bush administration. — ANI