No breakthrough in Indo-US talks

The official said it may need another round of talks before all the wrinkles could be ironed out and a statement from the embassy spoke of the two principals, India8217;s special envoy Jaswant Singh of India and US Deputy Secretary Strobe Talbott meeting again 8220;in the coming weeks.8221;

Officials from both sides declined to amplify on what the stumbling blocks were, but those familiar with the broad contours of the talks say it mainly centred on how India will sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the actions it proposes to take to enhance its security interests.

While Indian officials would not characterise the talks as a failure, US officials too described the fourth round as a 8220;good session,8221; blandly noting that the talks centred on non-proliferation issues and security concerns in the region.

If anything, Indian diplomats put a more positive spin on the talks. A statement from the Indian embassy said the two sides also discussed regional developments and the international situation, a fairly transparent reference to the exchanges between the two sides on the recent raids on terrorist camps in Afghanistan and the fallout.

Significantly, according to some observers, the Indian side also said the talks were aimed at 8220;putting relations between India and the United States on a sound and secure footing for the future,8221; suggesting that the exchanges encompassed long-term ties between the two countries. Although he did not directly participate in Monday8217;s delegation level talks, Greg Craig, head of the policy planning division in the State Department, a section which oversees long-term US policies across the world, is known to be actively involved in the ongoing exchanges.

That the two sides are seeking to go beyond the nuclear issue and are looking at long-term security concerns in the region is evident from the enhanced participation of officials from the Department of Defence and the Pentagon in the successive rounds of talks over the last eight weeks.

Last evening, Singh met John Hamre, who is the Deputy Secretary of Defence. One active participant in the last two rounds of talks has been the vice-chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General Joseph Ralston, who in fact hosted a dinner for the Indian delegation on Monday night.

8220;There hasn8217;t been this level or intensity of defence participation and input in ties between the two countries,8221; an Indian diplomat agreed, noting that military ties between the two sides were nearly derailed last year over petty disagreements over protocol over a proposed visit by Indian Defence Secretary Ajit Kumar.

But now, from the looks of it, the US top brass is keen on engaging with India and one top Pentagon official acknowledged recently that it is 8220;up to State department to get things moving.8221;