NEW DELHI: United States Undersecretary of State William Burns held talks with Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon here yesterday. Burns, the first senior US official to visit India, after return of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s government to power following recent elections, is expected to lay agenda for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit in the coming month.
In addition to strengthening Indo-US talks, Washington is keen for resumption of Indo-Pak talks, which have been suspended following Mumbai terror strikes in November.
Menon is understood to have expressed India’s disappointment at Pakistan’s inaction against terrorists based in Pakistan, who masterminded the Mumbai terror strikes. Menon supported this point by drawing attention to recent release in Pakistan of Jamaat-ud Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed. India believes that Saeed was set free by Lahore High Court as Pakistan government did not file adequate charges against him.
The two sides deliberated at length on prospects of resumption of Indo-Pak dialogue. Menon is believed to have told Burns that India is not against resuming dialogue with Pakistan, if there is proper atmosphere for which Islamabad will have make the needed effort.
