Pre-eminent ties with India will continue under Obama govt:

Ajay Kaul

New Delhi, Feb 24 (PTI) The Obama administration will
extend the pre-eminent relationship with India, outgoing US
Ambassador David Mulford has said, seeking to dispel
apprehensions that the new President may not be as warm as his
predecessor.

"The Obama administration shares the view that India
is very important country to the US. There is very high regard
for India and Indians living in the US. I think the Obama
administration is fully aware of this and will seek to extend
the relationship. I don't think there is any doubt about it,"
he told PTI in an interview here.

The comments assume significance since there have been
apprehensions that the Obama administration would not be as
warm and friendly to India as the Bush administration, which
went all out to firm up the civil nuclear deal and expanded
ties in other areas.

Mulford, who played a key role in building the Indo-US
relations, said the broad-based growth in ties was
irreversible.

"I believe the relationship created during the last
five years will be durable, will be sustained and will not
move backwards. It will remain a pre-eminent relationship,"
underlined the outgoing envoy just before returning home after
completing his assignment here.

Mulford emphasised the point that the Indo-US relations,
which had not been up to their potential for over five decades
despite "affection", have lately undergone a major shift.

Recounting the days when he assumed the charge of US
Ambassador here, he said, "There was still a lot of suspicion
and misunderstanding on one part and on the other, traditional
affection which India and the US have for each other since
(India's) independence.

"That is one of paradoxes of India-US relations (till
recently). There was affection when it came to shared values
but when it came to shared interests, we were really quite
different in views. That began to change in 1990s."

He identified 2003 as the year that marked "beginning of
new phase of relationship that moved forward."

One of the main catalysts of change, he said, was the
successful negotiations on Next Step in Strategic Partnership
(NSSP) initiative that was aimed at reducing barriers in
certain areas like defence technology and space, in such a way
that would not require changes in the laws.

The civil nuclear initiative of 2005 marked "beginning
of whole new things", Mulford said.

Even while talking about de-hyphenating Indo-Pak
obsession in the US, Mulford noted that "it is important (for
India to see as to) what goes on in Pakistan."

He underlined that "terrorism exported out of Pakistan"
is a problem that "needs to be addressed including by the
Pakistani government and by others."

Pointing out that "terrorism generally today is a
cross-border phenomenon", he said: "So it is very important to
know where it is originating from and then seek necessary
cooperation from host government and other countries affected
to prevent it."

He underlined that "this activity (of terrorism) is
taking place from that territory (of Pakistan) and it is not
being shut down and prevented. That is the relevant point."

On Taliban resurgence in Pakistan, particularly in SWAT
region, Mulford said, "The US, India and Pakistan and
Afghanistan, for the first time in 60 years, share a common
threat."

On the peace deal signed by Pakistan's provincial
government with the Taliban under which the authorities
virtually surrendered powers, the outgoing envoy refused to
make any observation but merely noted that Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton has said that she would look into it. PTI AKK
PMR
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