US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage may have to reschedule his visit to India because it coincides with Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani's visit to the US and the UK from August 21. This will be Advani's first visit abroad after becoming the Deputy Prime Minister.
Armitage was scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on August 23, the day Advani is to unveil a statue of Sardar Patel at the Royal Albert Palace in New Jersey. The function, sponsored by the largest group of non-resident Indians (NRIs) in the US, the Federation of Indians Association, will also be attended by former US President Bill Clinton.
Advani is expected to spend three days in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the cities having the largest concentration of powerful NRIs in the US.
More From This Section
That the visit will have political overtones is evident by the fact that Advani will speak his mind to the NRIs about the Indo-Pak stand-off . His plain-speaking about the role of the US in the sub-continent will be addressed largely to the audience back home.
Given Advani's newly acquired clout in the government and his influence in formulating policies, his words will convey a definite message to the US administration, sources in the government admit.
In such a scenario, Armitage's visit to New Delhi is unlikely to be a fruitful exercise, US officials feel. Armitage, while on an extended tour of Asia, plans to spend a day in New Delhi and Islamabad after his visit to Colombo on August 22.
Neither Advani nor foreign minister Yashwant Sinha, who will be in Kathmandu, will be in the Capital to meet Armitage.
Advani's visit has generated a lot of curiosity among US officials. That Advani has no plans to meet US dignitaries during his visit makes it clear that his visit will have no bearing on Indo-US relations. "This is an official visit, but not a state visit," official sources said while explaining that the visit had no diplomatic agenda.
But Advani certainly has a diplomatic mission during his stay in London from August 21-22, where he will meet his British counterpart John Prescott, as well as British foreign secretary Jack Straw. "Though the talks will centre around bilateral matters, the issue of cross-border terrorism will also be taken up," official sources said.