Joan Rohlfing, currently Senior Advisor for National Security to Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, is being posted to the US embassy in New Delhi for a limited period of six months and will engage in expert level talks with Indian officials, The Indian Express has learnt.

Rohlfing's six-month detail begins on September 1. In her new position, she will report directly to Ambassador Richard Celeste, Department of Energy officials said.

Rohlfing's sudden appointment, along with the timing and the length of her detail, suggests that Washington and New Delhi are now engaged in the endgame of their protracted nuclear and security related dialogue which could lead to India signing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty by the year-end or early next year shortlybefore President Clinton arrives on his much-deferred visit to the region. The current thinking is President Clinton could come for the Republic Day celebrations in January 2000.

US administration officials initially maintained Rohlfing was being sent for talks on nuclear export control, but later confirmed she would also be contributing to a dialogue on non-proliferation.

``But she is not going there with any particular negotiating mandate. She will be talking with Indian officials at the working level as part of our non-proliferation dialogue,'' a State Department official said.

Evidently, the security dialogue between US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott and External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh has now led to a position where expert-level talks are needed to discuss the finer details.DOE officials said as Senior Advisor to the Energy Secretary, Rohlfing ``provides counsel in the areas of nuclear arms control and non-proliferation and nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship andmanagement.''

The US special envoy has impressive credentials in the nuclear field. She joined the DOE in 1994 as director of the department's Office of Nonproliferation and National Security. Prior to that, she served as a member of the professional staff of the House Armed Services Committee from 1991-1994 where she was responsible for advising the Chairman of theCommittee on nuclear policy, including acquisition of strategic weapons systems. She has also worked at the Department of Defense on strategic nuclear weapons policy.

Most mid-level officials on both the Indian and American side were initially unaware of Rohlfing's appointment. The decision on it appears to have been made at the highest level following talks earlier this week between President Clinton and Prime Minister Vajpayee.

Rohlfing's appointment is obviously unusual in the sense it is the first time such a ``specialist'' envoy is being posted with such a specific mandate over such a specific period. Officials said her dialogue would beconfined to talks with Indian nuclear interlocutors and not involve Pakistan. No separate envoy has been appointed for Pakistan.