India a major foreign policy priority for US: Burns

New Delhi, June 10 (PTI) Carrying a brief for
resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue, US Under Secretary of State
William Burns on Wednesday met the Indian leadership after
which he confined himself by saying that India is a major
foreign policy priority for the US.

Burns met India's External Affairs Minister S M
Krishna after a detailed discussion with Foreign Secretary
Shivshankar Menon on wide range of topics including Indo-US
relations and situation in the region with a special focus
Pakistan.

The State Department had publicly said in Washington
that Burns will pitch for resumption of dialogue between New
Delhi and Islamabad during his meetings with the Indian
leadership during his four-day visit to Delhi.

However, Burns told reporters after his 40-minute
meeting with Krishna that he had "excellent" discussions
with India's External Affairs Minister, Home Minister P
Chidambaram and Menon.

He said he was looking forward to further
deliberations Thursday to "chart together ambitious bilateral
agenda for the next phase in the strategic partnership"
between the two countries.

Burns is expected to meet India's Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and National Security Advisor M K Narayanan.

Burns, who is the first high ranking officer of the
Obama Administration to visit India after the recent Lok Sabha
elections, described India as a "major foreign policy priority
for the United States."

Burns said India and the US have come a long way and
the civil nuclear agreement was a major "accomplishment".

Noting that he had been sent by President Barack Obama
and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with a "straight
forward message" that India is a priority nation, he said "I
am convinced that there is a great deal we can do together."

He said the US feels that India will be its crucial
global partner in the 21st century and a strong foundation for
bilateral relations has already been laid for it. PTI PYK
RAI
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