Washington, Nov.24 (ANI): Nicholas Burns, the lead negotiator on theU.S.-India nuclear deal in the Bush administration, has said thatWashington must reassure New Delhi that it is a “valued strategicpartner.”

In an interview given to the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) hereduring Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s visit to Washington,Burns, who was US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs inthe Bush Administration and is now a professor at the HarvardUniversity’s Belfer Center, said: “We have not yet heard a clearstatement from the Obama administration that India’s rise to power isin the strategic interest of the United States.”

Admitting that Dr. Singh’s visit might highlight disagreements onclimate change and global trade talks, Burns, however, said: “For arelationship that had been filled with good news and a series ofpositive developments really from President [Bill] Clinton’s lastyears in office throughout the [George W.] Bush administration, one ofthe challenges now will be to deal with these differences.”

He also said that it was not completely fair to say that the Obamaadministration has neglected and paid insufficient attention to India,or that it does not have a clear policy on India.

“Many Indians in and out of government are complaining that they feelthat the Obama administration has not paid sufficient attention toIndia. I would say in response to that that it’s not totally fair; thepresident did make Prime Minister Singh his first state visitor, whichis a great act of symbolism that sends the message that India isimportant to the United States,” said Burns.

“Secretary [of State] Hillary Clinton had a very successful trip toIndia during the summer, so I would not say that the Obamaadministration has neglected India. But, we have not yet heard a clearstatement from the Obama administration that India’s rise to power isin the strategic interest of the United States. That was clearly thepolicy of the last two presidents. I happen to believe that as we lookaround the world and look for partners and allies to help us cope withthese enormous global challenges, India can be one of our greatpartners,” he added.

He said that the Obama administration needs to reassure the Indiangovernment and the Indian people that India is a priority.

Second, he said there is a danger of focusing too much on Pakistan andChina, and that an unintended signal might be that India is no longeras important in American eyes, particularly given President Obama’strip to Beijing just this past week where there is a suspicion amongsome in the world of a G-2 grouping, a condominium of Chinese andAmerican interests.

“There is a great sensitivity in India as to some of the things thatwere said, even in the joint statement by the two countries. The Obamaadministration needs to be very careful to recalibrate and make itcrystal clear that India is a valued strategic partner. So, I do notthink the Obama administration has mishandled relations, and they havea number of very good people focused on it, but they have not perhapsarticulated in the fullest extent why India is important,” said Burns.

“I look out at a world which is very complex, where we face a greatnumber of transnational challenges-terrorism, proliferation, climatechange, pandemics, food shortages, just to name a few, and India isgoing to be critical to the resolution of all those problems,” Burnsadded.

“We cannot resolve them any of them without India’s participation withus, and as fellow democracies, and with the very strong bonds that theIndian American community has created for us, this is a realopportunity for President Obama, and I’m not sure they’ve grasped ityet,” he said.