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`Indo-US ties back on rails as Modi, Obama take ownership'
New Delhi, Feb 3
India's relationship with the
US is back on the rails with the US president Barack Obama and Prime
Minister Narendra Modi taking its ownership, former Indian ambassador
Meera Shankar has said and noted that the outcomes during Obama's visit
last month were marked by pragmatism as well as convergence.
Speaking
at a panel discussion on `Indo-US relations after the Republic Day
parade' at the India International Centre here, Shankar said that the
visit had helped reset the bilateral relationship. "Overall it was
extremely positive. It was high on both symbolism and substance,"
Shankar noted.
Obama's visit to India Jan 25-27 was marked by
several firsts. He is the first US president to visit India twice while
in office, the first to be chief guest at Republic Day parade and the
first to do a joint radio broadcast with the Indian prime minister.
Shankar,
who has been India's ambassador to the US, said that the India-US
nuclear deal changed the international regime for India but the
bilateral relationship hit a plateau subsequently as the two governments
focused on their domestic issues.
"The relationship is now back
on the rails. (These are) leaders who are taking ownership focused on
broader strategic aspect," Shankar said at the discussion organised by
the Indo-American Friendship Association.
Referring to the
nuclear deal which was conceived in 2005 but could not be
operationalised due to US concerns on India's liability clauses, she
said that there was effort by both sides to move ahead pragmatically.
She said the two sides sidestepped some contentious economic issues,
focused on larger business picture, worked for concrete action in
renewable energy and decided to move beyond buyer-seller relationship in
defence.
Referring to the US-India joint vision for the Asia
Pacific and India Ocean region which referred to South China Sea, she
said that the two countries had stated their convergence publicly which
was a departure from the past.
Former foreign secetary Kapil
Sibal said the there was "excellent personal chemistry between the two
leaders" and it will be helpful in "getting White House focus on the
relationship".
On the nuclear deal, he said the two sides have
removed it from the political plane and left it to companies to take it
forward. However, he said India had, in effect, agreed "that will be no
supplier liability (in case of a mishap)".
Referring to the
US-India joint vision, he said it has very important geopolitical
implications and conveys a sense of how India can be strategically
useful to the US.
In the joint vision, India and US had affirmed
importance of safegaurding martitime security and ensuring freedom of
navigation and over flight through out the region including South China
Sea. The Chinese government had reacted sharply to the vision statement.
Sibal said Taliban was missing from the India-US joint statement despite the threat it posed to peace in the region.
George
Sibly, minister in the US embassy, said that Obama's visit has given "a
tremendous upward boost" to the bilateral relationship and was
"positive in both substance and symbolism". He said the joint statement
keeps track of the four months since Modi visited the US. On climate
change, Sibly said he saw a gradual convergence between the two
countries.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that US-India ties had
already turned a new chapter during the previous UPA government. He,
however, conceded that Modi had removed apprehensions about his ability
to strike a chord with leaders on the international stage.
"We see a PM who is confident... imagery is important," he said.
H.K
Dua, MP and journalist, said there was an overdisplay of enthusiasm by
Modi and he should not have publicly addressed the US president by his
first name.