Burns postpones next week's India visit

WASHINGTON: Amid uncertainties over the Indo-US civil nuclear agreement getting through in the 'Lame Duck' session of US Senate, Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns has postponed his trip to India that was to begin from November 11.

The development has only to do with difficulties in scheduling of the senior State Department official, who was instead travelling to East Asia this weekend as part of an US delegation to discuss the issue of six-party talks on North Korean nuclear programme, sources said.

They said Burns' tour to South Asia per se has been put off and this included a visit to Pakistan for the US-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue that has just been put on track. Burns was also expected to visit Afghanistan.

Burns' East Asia visit comes ahead of an official tour to Vietnam by US President George W Bush, who will also attend a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders under the aegis of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum in Hanoi on November 18 and 19.

Prior to the summit, APEC will have a series of Ministerials that will involve Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. With Rice out of the country, Burns, effectively the number two at the State Department, will have to be in town.

An argument is also being made that Burns is staying behind for the Senate 'Lame Duck' session scheduled to begin from November 13.

The agenda not just includes the US-India civilian nuclear deal but the Vietnam Trade Bill that has also been identified by the administration and Congressional leaders as a top priority for the session.