Ahead of strategic dialogue, US official goes to India

Ahead of US Secretary State John Kerry's June visit for the India-United States Strategic Dialogue, a senior American diplomat is travelling to New Delhi this week to exchange notes on the preparations.

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman, who will be in New Delhi May 24-25, will meet External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and other Indian officials, according to a state department statement.

She will "discuss a full range of bilateral and regional issues and preparations for the June Strategic Dialogue"," it said.

She will then travel to Hyderabad on May 25 to engage with private sector leaders on furthering US-India economic cooperation and innovation.

Sherman will arrive in India from Indonesia, where she will be May 21-23 to participate in the US-Indonesia Global Policy Dialogue, described as a key component of the US-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership launched in 2010.

From India, Sherman travels to Dhaka where she will lead the US delegation to the Second US-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue from May 26-28.

She will also lead a roundtable with labour, industry, and government officials to discuss standards in the garment sector in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza tragedy, the State Department said.