Nistula Hebbar: Special envoy, special tasks

BACKSTAGE

Shyam Saran's appointment as a Special Envoy on the Indo-US nuclear deal came as no great surprise to anyone; it was either that or a continuation in the post of foreign secretary for him. A combination of his abilities and the reality of the geo-political situation today, has resulted in Saran, a 1970 batch IFS officer, becoming the midwife to a profound change in India's foreign policy. No surprises then that, as India takes its first steps towards finding its own place in the post-Cold War sun, he has been given probably the toughest job in Indian diplomacy.

India's foreign policy underwent a refinement under Saran, to better address the concerns of a changing world order. His fluency in Chinese rather than a European language, his postings on the Pakistan desk, as envoy to Nepal, Burma and Indonesia, made him the perfect ambassador of the country's new Look East policy.

His understanding of the forces of globalisation, that these forces of economic cooperation and interdependence make old Cold War concepts like containment largely irrelevant, was important in the way India is lobbying for a place in multilateral groupings such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). An affable and articulate man, Saran fitted India's needs to make new friends and influence important people. His new job as special envoy on the Indo-US nuclear deal will contain more of the nitty-gritty of tough negotiations rather than broad sweeps of policy. The US House of Representatives has cleared the deal but the Senate is yet to vote on it. Critics of the deal in the Congress and outside say that it will encourage India to proliferate nuclear weapons as it is not a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Part of Saran's job will be to ensure that there is no tinkering with the treaty signed on July 18, as well as tough negotiations with the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh considers the Indo-US nuclear deal as one of the biggest achievements of his government. He has repeatedly said that it fits into his vision of assuring an incremental growth in the Indian economy by ensuring energy security through nuclear power. He had been toying for long with the idea of appointing a special envoy on the deal. His aides say that there was no other candidate other than Saran who had been considered for it. According to the prime minister, the real test of the deal, on which he has staked a lot, will be during these negotiations.

Saran's two-year term as foreign secretary is one of the most significant in recent Indian history. It is, however, his post-retirement job which is likely to determine how he is remembered. He carries the burden of not just his reputation but also that of Manmohan Singh.