U.S. seeks “strategic relationship” with India

The United States is offering to step up a strategic dialogue with India to boost missile defence as well as high-tech cooperation and expanded economic and energy cooperation.

During her visit to India earlier this month, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussed with the Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Washington’s intentions of developing a "decisively broader strategic relationship" between the two countries, a senior U.S. official said.

"Its goal is to help India become a major world power in the 21st century," an officials said on condition of anonymity.

"We understand fully the implications, including military implications, of that statement," he added.

According to senior administration officials, Bush’s administration has acknowledged that the future of S. Asia is "simply vital to the future of the U.S." and that India, Pakistan and Afghanistan will play a pivotal role in Washington’s strategic perspective.

U.S. President George W. Bush is inviting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Washington next July, and that he himself plans to visit India by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, officials said, adding that the strategic dialogue between the U.S. and India would be on levels "you would discuss with a world power".

They also said that the U.S. will "respond positively" to India’s request for information on next generation multi-role combat aircraft.

"That’s not just F-16s. It could be F-18s. But beyond that, the U.S. is ready to discuss even more fundamental issues of defence transformation with India, including transformative systems in areas such as command and control, early warning and missile defense.

"Some of these items may not be as glamorous as combat aircraft, but I think for those of you who follow defence issues you’ll appreciate the significance," one official said.

The officials said the administration concluded that the current dialogue with India on Next Steps in Strategic Partnership; focusing on the cooperation in civilian space and nuclear technology, high technology trade and missile defence, "wasn’t broad enough to really encompass the kind of things we needed to do to take this relationship where it needed to go".

India welcomed the U.S. offers of upgrading strategic cooperation between the two countries, permitting U.S. companies to supply an assortment of military hardware and nuclear energy cooperation to New Delhi.