145;Next PM should directly handle Pak talks146;

While anticipating no major change in foreign policy formulation under a Congress-led Government, a senior US scholar said it will be vital ...

While anticipating no major change in foreign policy formulation under a Congress-led Government, a senior US scholar said it will be vital for a new prime minister to demonstrate the kind of personal involvement that A.B. Vajpayee showed in taking forward the ties with Pakistan.

Robert M. Hathaway, Director of the Asia Programme in the Woodrow Wilson International Centre for Scholars, told The Indian Express in an exclusive interview that Washington would like to see the process with Pakistan occupy the PM8217;s personal attention.

8216;8216;I think if India and Pakistan are to move forward, it has to be driven from the very top. And I think that was one of Prime Minister Vajpayee8217;s strengths that he had a personal stake in this, and I would hope that Ms Gandhi or who ever is the next PM would also take the issue as a personal stake. I think that would be viewed in America as an extremely positive sign,8217;8217; said Hathway, who has been in India through the latter part of the election season.

Hathaway said the US would also hope to see India continue with economic liberalisation along the lines it has since 1991. He added US would be keen to see early signals from the new government that it is willing to take forward the work done by the outgoing government in strengthening India-US ties. He, however, emphasised that Washington should not view a decision on sending troops to Iraq as an indicator of the next government8217;s commitment.

8216;8216;Sure that George W. Bush would love to have some sort of Indian presence in Iraq, but I think Mr. Bush would be well advised not to make that one of his indicators of the intention of the new government. A decision of the sort would be difficult for any Indian government, particularly a brand new government.8217;8217;

He said the improvement in Indo-US relations began in the early 1990s when the Congress was in power and in that sense, he did not see any cause for worry in strengthening ties under a Congress-led coalition.

Hathaway admitted that announcing the status of a major non-NATO ally for Pakistan without informing New Delhi was a blunder. 8216;8216;I think we made a big mistake, we blew it8230;I think everybody from the President down understands that we blew it. While I am an independent scholar and have nothing to do with the US Government, I am convinced that high officials would say that we dropped it.8217;8217;