Press Trust of India Posted online: Saturday, February 25, 2006 at 1324 hours IST Updated: Monday, February 27, 2006 at 1423 hours IST
Washington, February 25: As President George W Bush prepares to visit India from March 1, the US has said the relationship between the two countries has been institutionalised and stands on it own.
"...One of the things about this kind of relationship between India and the United States is that it's at the point where, in some sense, it's been institutionalised," said Bush's National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, previewing the three-day visit of President Bush to India.
"When relations between two countries are in an early stage, everybody focuses on what's the deliverable for the trip, because in some sense, trips are the only times you get agreements and you move forward in the relationship," he told reporters at the White House briefing room.
Hadley said, "A lot of the relationship is now institutionalised. There's a business dialogue, there's economic dialogue, there's energy dialogues, and a lot of those things have produced statements and agreements and joint programmes that the President (Bush) and the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) will be able to ratify and bless."
"So I think there's going to be a lot of things. But, again, it's not three or four major initiatives. It's the kind of relationship whereby you'll see, I think, a range of agreements, understandings, next steps, across a broad range of issues that will show that the relationship is moving forward, and really is pretty institutionalised at this."
Hadley also stressed that the United States' relationship with India stands on its own and not to be seen as some kind of a "balance" vis-a-vis China.
"The relationship with India is because it is the relationship with India. If you look at the President's comments even during the campaign, he recognised that this nation had an enormous affinity with India, the world's largest democracy. We share common values. We increasingly share common interests," Hadley said.
He said Bush recognised that India was going to be a big player, not just on the regional scene, but also on the global scene. "So back in '99, he (Bush) was saying one of his priorities was to develop and intensify and broaden the relationship with India. And he's trying to do that".
Bush, who will be flying to Pakistan on March 4 after visiting India, has "tried to do the same thing with his relationship with Pakistan, and really establish the principle ...We think we've established the principle that good relations with Pakistan by the United States don't harm the relationships with India, and good relationships with India don't harm that with Pakistan. They are, in fact, mutually reinforcing," Hadley said.
"We seek good relations with India, with Pakistan, with Russia, with Japan, with the EU. We seek those good relationships because they are in our interest. We don't seek them because it's a balance to China or anything else," emphasised the top White House official.
Also, Hadley said that during his visit, Bush will be discussing Iran with Prime Minister Singh and impressing upon his hosts of the several activities of Tehran including in the realm of nuclear weapons acquisition and its role in fomenting terrorism in the Middle-East.
He stressed that Iran had to be held accountable for its non-compliance on the safeguards agreement and that it had to be referred to UN Security Council.
India "has, of course, been a participant in IAEA board of governors. It has, in the two recent votes that were taken there, it has been in the side of those who really believe that Iran needs to be held to account for the non-compliance with the safeguards agreement, and that the issue needs to be referred to the UN Security Council. So I think it will be a reinforcement of that commitment," Hadley said.
"I think what both leaders (Bush and Singh) will do is step back and talk about more broadly the challenge that Iran poses for stability in the region. It is certainly an issue of Iran's effort to achieve nuclear weapons.
"It is also Iran's role as a state sponsor of terror; the support it is providing to countries like Syria, which are also involved in supporting terror; the attitude its government has towards Israel; the unconstructive role it's playing in terms of the Middle-East; and the way it treats its own people," Hadley said.
He also spoke about the theme of democracy and the continuing efforts of the Bush administration to try and reach to the people of Iran. "The President... talked about the initiative that was announced by the Secretary of State (Condoleezza Rice) to try and enhance our support for those voices within Iran that are calling for greater freedom and openness in that society.
"That's a very important thing in looking forward to the day when we have a democratic Iran that can be a partner on these issues, rather than to be a part of the problem on these issues," he said.
"So I think you'll find a kind of - a strategic level discussion between the two leaders on the challenge Iran poses and what we need to do about it together."
Washington, February 25: As President George W Bush prepares to visit India from March 1, the US has said the relationship between the two countries has been institutionalised and stands on it own.
