NEW DELHI, 21 March 2004 — India has expressed disappointment over the United States granting archrival Pakistan the status of “major non-NATO ally.” New Delhi yesterday expressed surprise that it was not even told beforehand about this by US Secretary of State Colin Powell and warned that India-US relations may be affected.
“The secretary of state was in India just two days before this statement was made in Islamabad. While he was in India, there was much emphasis on India-US strategic partnership. It is disappointing that he did not share with us this decision of the United States government,” said Navtej Sarna, the Foreign Ministry spokesman.
Signaling that India should not be expected to close its eyes to possible impact of this decision, Sarna said: “We are studying the details of this decision, which has significant implications for India-US relations. We are in touch with the US government in this regard.”
The special status puts Pakistan but not India in an exclusive club of nations such as Australia, Egypt, Israel, Japan and Thailand given preferential US treatment in military cooperation. Pakistan will be eligible for priority delivery of military supplies.
The United States sought to ease India’s concerns. A spokesman for the US Embassy in New Delhi gave a one-line statement that said: “The US-India strategic relationship was the central focus of Secretary Powell’s visit to New Delhi... and continues to be the top priority.”
