Former US Ambassador to India Frank Wisner is a happy man because he believes that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to India helped 'cross the bar' and silence the critics who were convinced that President Barack Obama's predecessor George W Bush was infinitely better for India than the current chief executive of the White House.
In an interview with rediff.com, an ebullient Wisner said, "You had to cross the bar, you had to make it clear that one Administration that picked up from the next one would continue and further strengthen the US-India strategic partnership and she helped cross that bar."
He said Clinton had achieved this in all aspects -- symbolically and in tangible terms vis-a-vis the substantive agreements reached.
"She did exactly what was expected of her and that was the re-establish the image of the strategic relationship between the United States and India and make it clear that there is no break in the importance that the US attaches to its ties with India," he said.
Wisner also asserted that Clinton had clearly 'put paid to the rumours in India that somehow George Bush had stronger feelings about India than Barack Obama -- Mrs Clinton put all that to rest."
Asked if he believed she had silenced all the naysayers who doubted Obama's commitment to this partnership for good, he shot back, "I mean, if they want to continue to natter, that's their business. But, she certainly travelled at considerable inconvenience to herself, she talked about all the important points and made it clear that the relationship is a broad one -- that it is a deep strategic content to it, from military to military, and the nuclear side of the relationship."
Wisner said the latter commitment by the Obama administration to the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, which Clinton was unambiguous and unequivocal about, was significant because "there were voices in India that were nattering that this Administration was downplaying the nuclear deal -- that there was some backing away from our legal obligations under the 123 Agreement and under the Hyde Act, and she made it clear that's all garbage."
"She also showed that she had a lot of sympathy for what India had gone through by starting her trip in Mumbai and underscored the strength of her feelings that the United States will stand by India at a time of terror," he pointed out. "Also, the importance of dealing in a common manner over Pakistan/Afghanistan without making that the dominant theme of the visit."
Wisner acknowledged, "Obviously there are differences of views over the climate change issue and how best to tackle that -- India has got some good arguments and we've got some good arguments. So, I think, we've got to see if we can find a common ground between the two. She didn't seem to find it during her trip."
From a defence cooperation and business perspective, he said that the End Use Monitoring agreement "was really important because it had not been acted on by the Bush Administration and now that it has come through, it opens the way for defence sales."
"Also, we are pleased that on the nuclear side, there is agreement (by the government of India) to proceed to Parliament to get the convention that will ensure -- will hold harmless -- companies that do work in the nuclear field. This was a signal that we were looking for. So, a lot of good things were done."
Wisner reiterated, "What she said, what she did and her presence during those five days, she made clear that it was more than just the assertions of the friends of the relationship, but in fact it was nation policy (institutionalising the US-India strategic partnership)."
However, the erstwhile envoy, acknowledged that while the stage had now been set, "there is a huge amount to do. There is the completion of the nuclear part that has been identified, there are defence sales to be completed, and that's just the beginning. There is also practical cooperation over Doha and Climate Change. And, of course, support for India's desire to forge a place for itself on the global stage. So, there are many, many rich areas of bilateral cooperation and most of all there is the strategic cooperation."
"South Asia is a troubled place and getting our strategic perspectives together and making them effective, that very important at this time -- Pakistan is so tender and Afghanistan is so troubled. So, the list for our strategic cooperation is very long."
