(a) whether the U.S. State Department Director visited India recently;
(b) if so, the issues discussed; and
(c) the outcome thereof?
(a) whether the U.S. State Department Director visited India recently;
(b) if so, the issues discussed; and
(c) the outcome thereof?
THE MINISTER OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS(SHRI YASHWANT SINHA)
(a) Yes. The U.S. State Department`s Director for Policy Planning Dr. Richard Haass visited India on 28-29 October 2002.
(b) His visit provided the two sides the opportunity to discuss long-term development of India-U.S. relations and exchange views on regional and international developments, including the current trends in cross-border terrorism from Pakistan.
(c) The visit was part of the process of, and contributed to, the strengthening of the strategic framework of India-U.S. relations, agreed upon by Prime Minister and U.S. President Bush in November 2001 in Washington D.C. and reaffirmed during their September 2002 meeting in New York.