Robin Raphel To Arrive Tomorrow

Sources in the ministry of external affairs said officials will be happy to discuss whatever she wants to, adding that she will meet foreign secretary Salman Haidar. A meeting with external affairs minister I K Gujral, however, has not been confirmed yet.

Raphel will also meet senior officials in the finance and defence ministries, an official spokesman of the US embassy said. This is one of a regular series of visits that she undertakes to the South Asian region she is responsible for in the administration back home, he said.

She is coming here to see the shape of the new landscape, speak to the new government which includes a whole new cast of players, he added. Raphel's last visit to India took place last November.

 

The broad range of issues on the agenda include the comprehensive test ban treaty that is being taken up at the UN General Assembly after it was blocked at the disarmament conference in Geneva in July. India will virtually stand alone as it attempts to prevent a discriminatory treaty from being signed into international law this week.

India's recent criticism of the US bombing of Iraq is also expected to come up during the discussions. In fact, the US action has received little international support apart from Britain.

A European Union foreign ministers meeting in Ireland over the weekend was deeply divided on the subject.

Other issues on her agenda include elections in Kashmir, prospects of an Indo-Pak dialogue, regional issues like Afghanistan a Bangladesh.

The US is acknowledged to be the prime mover of the CTBT in tandem with the other nations of the Security Council, but reports from New York suggest that Russia and China are unhappy that the vote at the UN may set a precedent for Washington to bulldoze other issues in the future.

Both India and US officials have consistently said in recent weeks that differences over the CTBT will not affect bilateral relations and that other important trade and economic issues go beyond such differences.

India's largest trade and investment partner is the US and both sides are conscious that the CTBT fallout must be restricted.