Hillary Clinton likely to visit India

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton is likely to undertake a visit here in July, marking
possibly the first trip of a top-ranking Obama administration official during the second tenure of UPA government.

Exact dates for the trip are being worked out and would be firmed up after the new External Affairs minister takes over, sources said. The visit would be crucial for discussing the future of bilateral relations which have already witnessed a significant
improvement over the last five few years as was reflected by the Indo-US civil nuclear deal.

The visit will also provide an opportunity to the two sides to exchange views on Pakistan and Afghanistan, which are the sources of international terrorism. India has been pressing the US to push Pakistan to ensure that it acts against terrorism in a concrete manner so as to eliminate the threat to the world.

New Delhi would be utilising the visit to impress upon Washington the need to ensure that Pakistan takes credible and transparent action against terrorist groups, like
Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, which pose direct threat to India.

New Delhi is opposed to any financial aid to Islamabad, saying it amounts to giving "liquor to an alcoholic". NDRA