India as Important as China: US
Following New Delhi’s clear opposition to US-China joint statement having mention of Indo-Pak ties, the US had sought to soothe India saying that it has to decide with Pakistan the substance, scope and pace of their relationship.
“We’ve always said, in terms of Indo-Pakistan relations, that’s really up to India and Pakistan to decide how and when and the scope of that,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Robert Blake, told reporters in Washington.
With New Delhi disturbed with the joint statement issued in Beijing following talks between President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Hu Jintao, the US said in an apparent bid to pacify India that it has an ‘equally important relationship’ with India as that with China.
“I don’t think there needs to be any concern in India about what the President said in China. We have very important relations with China. But we have equally important relations with India.
“And I think that will come out very clearly during the course of the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit next week,” he said.
It may be noted that India reacted strongly to the statement yesterday and made it clear that a third country role cannot be envisaged nor is it necessary.
