Special United States Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke said he would soon head towards the troubled region in South Asia to have a first-hand assessment of the situation on the ground.In his acceptance speech, soon after he was appointed as the Special US Representative for the troubled region by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Holbrooke termed the Pakistan situation as extremely complex.
"Today, Ambassador Ryan Crocker confirmed to the Afghan Government, US Mission Afghanistan, and the ISAF community that he intends to depart his post for health reasons in mid-summer, following the Kabul and Tokyo conferences," State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said on Tuesday.
Indian Ambassador to the US, Ronen Sen met influential American Senator John Cornyn in Washington to discuss the two countries' "shared fight" against terrorism.
The government of India in welcoming the new United States ambassador to India, erstwhile India and South Asia hand, Nancy J Powell, has said that while India would not be new to her, it would not be the same either, considering the transformational changes India has undergone.
The Senate confirmed ambassadors to 16 countries following Obama administrations's concern over the posts lying vacant. The confirmation had been lying pending before the senate for about two months now.
US Ambassador to India Nancy Powell headed back to her country on Thursday after an eventful stint here and will be replaced temporarily early next month by Kathleen Stephens, a career diplomat.
Pakistan foreign ministry on Monday summoned the acting American envoy and lodged a "strong protest" over the tabling of a resolution in the United States Congress seeking the right to self-determination for the Baloch people which has emerged as the latest irritant in bilateral ties.
As the Under Secretary for Commerce, Juster played a key role in developing the Indo-US deal.
Deploring the arrest of Deputy Consul General in New York, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh on Friday summoned United States Ambassador Nancy Powell to convey India's "shock" over "absolutely unacceptable" treatment meted out to the senior Indian diplomat.
The committee, headed by senior Congress MP V Kishorechandra Deo, will meet on that day after Speaker Somnath Chatterjee referred the issue to it following a hue and cry by members who demanded the envoy's recall, sources said.
With United States-Pakistan relations at an all time low, the top American diplomat in Islamabad has called for a 'renewal' of ties with Islamabad, even as he called India a 'natural friend'."America and Pakistan need to work together on common issues, and we have many. It remains vital to us both to see progress in Pakistan and the region, in the interest of peace, stability, and prosperity of Pakistan and its neighbours," US Ambassador to Pak Cameron Munter said.
Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi had told United States ambassador Timothy Roemer that the growth of 'radicalised Hindu groups', which create religious tensions in India, could pose a bigger threat to the country than activities of groups like Lashkar-e-Tayiba.
United States President Barack Obama has nominated Indian-American, Richard Rahul Verma, as the next US Ambassador to India, ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington later this month.
Pakistan on Friday summoned the acting American envoy to lodge a "strong protest" against an anti-Islam film and demanded that the US government take immediate steps to remove the "blasphemous" video from YouTube.
China on Wednesday said the US' naval and air incursions in the artificial islands in the South China Sea will be counter-productive leading to "miscalculation" and "crisis", as Beijing summoned the American ambassador to protest the US Navy's sailing of a warship into the disputed waters.
US ambassador to India Richard Verma on Thursday batted for people-to-people cooperation in dealing with global environmental challenges even as he underscored the "important" role films and technology can play in spreading awareness in this regard.
The announcement in this regard was made by the White House late Wednesday night along with a dozen diplomatic posts, including nomination of Patricia A Butenis as the new US Ambassador to Sri Lanka.
Seasoned American diplomat Nancy Powell, who was sworn in as United States ambassador to India, has identified five priority areas to take the relationship between the two countries to a new level. "Our look forward will encompass: Bolstering trade and investment to reduce barriers, including through negotiation of a bilateral investment treaty, and expansion of the areas where we can do business, including full implementation of the Civil-Nuclear Agreement," Powell said.
Roemer is currently the president of Centre for National Policy, a Washington-based think tank. An email sent to the CNP office of Roemer was not returned. Besides heading the CNP, Roemer serves on the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism, according to his bio-data posted on the CNP website.
Foreign Service Officer Robert Orris Blake, Jr, who is currently the United States' Ambassador to Sri Lanka, before which he served as Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in New Delhi from 2003 to 2006, is the top contender for the post of the Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, currently held by diplomat Richard Boucher.
India was the sole abstention while all other 14 members of the Council voted in favour of the resolution that decided that processing or payment of funds, other financial assets, economic resources, and provision of goods and services necessary to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian assistance are permitted and are not a violation of the asset freezes imposed by the Council or its Sanctions Committee.
Blackwill is scheduled to meet Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed, political leaders and some prominent residents, the sources said.
Union Commerce Minister Kamal Nath met US trade representative Susan Schwab in New York on Thursday evening. He said the meeting led to 'much more convergence' between the two countries than last year on the feisty issues relating to the WTO negotiations. The minister arrived in New York to release his book 'India's Century' and to meet Schwab in yet another bid to achieve a breakthrough on the issue of agriculture subsidies that are at the core of WTO negotiations.
Verma, 46, is the first Indian-American to be the US ambassador to India and is expected to be sworn in shortly.
United States Counsel General in Mumbai David J Ranz is also expected to visit Deekshabhoomi.
'He has about as much chance of coming back to power as (former Soviet) President (Mikhail) Gorbachev,' The News quoted Richard Holbrooke, US administration's Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, as saying to a gathering of American diplomats and security experts.
United States Ambassador Nancy Powell on Thursday met Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and assured him US will share with India its inquiry report in the US navy ship firing incident in which one Indian fisherman was killed in Dubai.
The CPI(M) has asked the government to express its disapproval.
Pakistan army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's office turned down a request for a meeting by visiting US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence Peter Lavoy, reflecting the strains that have hit ties between the two countries since last year.
American President Barack Obama gets along well with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, United States ambassador Timothy J Roemer said on Thursday, adding that their expected five to six minute telephonic chat sometimes turns into a conversation twice as long. "During the hour-long meeting with President Obama before I came to India, the President touched his heart and said he finds that he gets along well with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh," he said.
With United States President Barack Obama firmly backing New Delhi's candidature for membership of the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group, US Ambassador to India Richard Verma on Wednesday said the former is very supportive of India's accession in all the four export control regimes, including the NSG, and is going to work hard to achieve the target.
Nancy Powell, the new United States envoy to India, will be bring a bust of Eleanor Roosevelt -- the first lady of the US from 1933 to 1945 with her when she will leave for New Delhi next week.
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday said invitation extended to the United States consul general in Mumbai for Narendra Modi's Sunday rally will not be recalled following the outrage over the treatment meted out to Indian diplomat Deyani Khobragade which it termed as "unacceptable".
Richard Holbrook, the former United States Ambassador to United Nations, is likely to be appointed envoy to Pakistan, Afghanistan and related matters by the new Obama administration after Hillary Clinton was sworn in as the secretary of State earlier today.Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell is likely to be announced as Middle East Envoy, the Washington Post reported, quoting sources close to the Obama administration.
The US senate will now have to approve Mulford's nomination, which was announced by the White House on Thursday.
Munter, confirmed by the US Senate last week, would replace Anne Paterson in Islamabad.
'We are encouraged by what the prime minister said recently on these issues... We will keep a close eye on these issues. They are very important and as are other elements of our human rights and religious freedom.' 'So, absolutely, we'll keep a focus on them.'
He said as per the US, India was a sovereign state, so "what are we then?" he asked.
Former US ambassador to India Robert Blackwill on Thursday said India faced the threat of more 26/11-like terror attacks and one of the reasons would be the lacklustre response by its government towards such crises.
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