Obama needs to address ’strategic issues’ for a successful India trip: NYT

NEW YORK - United States President Barack Obama’s trip to India will be a failure if it does not deal with strategic issues, according to an editorial in the New York Times.

“India is anxious about America’s plans for Afghanistan and Washington’s close ties with Pakistan - base for insurgencies that threaten all three countries. The India-Pakistan nuclear rivalry remains dangerous. India would gain credibility and make the world safer if it worked harder to reduce tensions with Pakistan,” the editorial said.

“The Indians have made clear that they don’t want Washington as a mediator. Obama still needs to nudge India to resume serious talks with Pakistan over Kashmir and take other steps to help calm Pakistan’s fears including pursuing a trade agreement.”

“Obama also needs to press Pakistan a lot harder to bring the Mumbai bombers to justice,” it added.

The editorial also claims that there are “real differences” that need to be addressed.

“It is a grim irony that the nuclear deal, which was sold as essential to removing a serious irritant in Indian-American relations, is now causing new tensions. The two sides must find a way to resolve them,” the editorial said.

It further said that the two countries need to find ways to cooperate on trade liberalization and climate change.

During Obama’s tenure in the White House (since January 2009), India’s relationship with the US has grown in various sectors, and has been described by Obama as a defining partnership of the 21st century.

The US President arrived in India on Saturday, and is due to arrive in the Indian capital on Sunday afternoon.

Obama is the fifth American president to visit India, the others being D.D. Eisenhower (1959), Richard Nixon (1969), Jimmy Carter (1978), Bill Clinton (2000) and George W. Bush (2006). (ANI)