`US intends to strengthen strategic relation with India`

Lalit K Jha

Washington, July 18 (PTI) Expressing that US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton's visit to India will expand the areas
of cooperation, a top Obama administration official said
Washington intends to deepen and strengthen the strategic
partnership with New Delhi.

"India is a global power. I think, as the Secretary
reflected earlier this week and will certainly do so when she
is in India, there is an opportunity to expand the areas of
cooperation," Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs
Philip J Crowley told foreign correspondents.

The Obama Administration, he said, wants to see India
continue to increase its role in terms of regional stability,
regional security, economic development in the region.

"We saw recently, for example, that India has played a
very constructive role in helping the United States and others
in terms of conflict resolution," Crowley said.

The US believes that the world's largest democracy and
the world's oldest democracy have and share a great deal in
common and can only expand, deepen, their relationship going
forward, the official said.

"That will have significance in terms of our bilateral
relationship and also significance in terms of being able to
address regional challenges, global challenges.

"We are very pleased to see India begin to step up and
take a more significant role and addressing those challenges,"
Crowley said.

In a response to a question, he termed India a
fascinating country.

"India is fully engaged in the world. India is harnessing
the capabilities of all of its people. India's diversity works
to its ultimate advantage. It is stepping up and showing that
it is willing to engage widely around the world and take its
rightful place in trying to solve the problems that the entire
world represents," he said. PTI