NEW DELHI: The Barack Obama administration may appoint a permanent ambassador to India earlier than anticipated with the new envoy taking charge before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, scheduled for September.
Washington is exploring the possibility of appointing a fulltime ambassador before September to prepare for the big visit, sources in the US government indicated to ET, even as Kathleen Stephens took charge as the interim envoy to India on Friday. Usually, it takes three to six months for any US ambassador to take charge in a country, but the Obama administration may make an exception this time, they said.
“An ambassador can be an anchor to bilateral relationship. And with the maiden strategic dialogue with the new dispensation and thereafter a PM visit, it is imperative to have a full-fledged ambassador,” an official said.
The previous ambassador, Nancy Powell, resigned in March in the backdrop of the Devyani Khobragade episode. Powell couldn’t foresee the fallout of the Indian diplomat’s arrest in the US on bilateral ties and, according to Indian officials, her low-profile approach didn’t help repair strained relations.
According to Robinder Sachdev of advocacy group US-India Political Action Committee, for bilateral interests, the US should consider appointing a permanent ambassador before the proposed strategic dialogue between the countries.
The US has proposed to hold the annual strategic dialogue in Delhi next month, offering to shift the venue from Washington to deepen the engagement with the Modi government ahead of his US visit. It is the US’ turn to host the event this year, but Indian ministers will find it difficult to visit the US next month as Parliament will be in session then. The US has proposed a visit by Secretary of State John Kerry at the time to meet Modi.
India has yet to respond to the proposals. Foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin told meida that Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj could travel to the US before Modi’s visit.
The names that are doing the rounds as the next envoy to India include those of former Deputy Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter, who had interacted with India extensively on defence issues; USAID Chief Rajiv Shah and former Senator Richard Lugar.
Stephens, the US charge d’affaires who arrived in New Delhi this month, has served in the US Foreign Service during 1978-2013, achieving the rank of a career minister. She was acting under secretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs in 2012, and US ambassador to the Republic of Korea from 2008 to 2011.
Source: The Economic Times
