US boost for India with Afghan role carrot

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Viewing India as a “rising global power”, the US on Thursday pitched for a greater role for New Delhi in international affairs and in meeting challenges in South Asia, including bringing stability to Afghanistan.

Launching the first-ever Indo-US Strategic Dialogue along with external affairs minister S.M. Krishna, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said America felt India had not “fully embraced” its role in regional and global affairs and indicated support for India’s aspirations for a permanent seat in the expanded UN Security Council.
She sought to dispel “doubts” that the US sees India “only or mainly in the context of Afghanistan and Pakistan” and that America “will hasten our departure from Afghanistan, leaving India to deal with the aftermath”. They discussed Afghan-istan and Pakistan and ways to step up cooperation. “India is a rising global power and already a regional power in Asia. Thus more the need to work closely with India to meet the immediate challenges in the neighbourhood,” she said. “India and the US must play a leading role in shaping the destiny of the 21st century,” he said. —PTI