By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said that India and US will lay out a broad-based agenda calling for a “whole-of-government approach” to their bilateral ties during her first trip to India starting Friday.
“This week, I will travel to India, where External Affairs Minister (S.M.) Krishna and I will lay out a broad-based agenda that calls for a whole-of-government approach to our bilateral relationship,” she said Wednesday outlining her concept of “smart power” in a major foreign policy address at the Council On Foreign Relations.
US will also put “put special emphasis on encouraging major and emerging global powers – China, India, Russia and Brazil, as well as Turkey, Indonesia, and South Africa – to be full partners in tackling the global agenda,” Clinton said.
Underscoring the importance of and her personal commitment to this task, she said: “These states are vital to achieving solutions to the shared problems and advancing our priorities – non-proliferation, counter-terrorism, economic growth, climate change, among others.”
“With these states, we will stand firm on our principles even as we seek common ground.”
Citing US diplomacy regarding North Korea as an exercise in smart power she said: “the short-term results were two unanimous Security Council resolutions with real teeth and consequences for North Korea, and then the follow-on active involvement of China, Russia, and India with us in persuading others to comply with the resolutions.”
Later this month, she and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will jointly lead a new strategic and economic dialogue with China and in autumn she would travel to Russia, Clinton said.
“The fact of these and other meetings does not guarantee results, but they set in motion processes and relationships that will widen our avenues of cooperation and narrow the areas of disagreement without illusion.”
“We know that progress will not likely come quickly, or without bumps in the road, but we are determined to begin and stay on this path,” she said.
(Arun Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])