Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
New York Times
April 23, 2008
Pg. 9
By Somini Sengupta
A day after the Bush administration urged India to step up pressure on Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on his coming visit to New Delhi, India tartly said it did not need “any guidance on the future conduct of bilateral relations,” making it plain that no saber rattling from its friends in Washington would impair its relationship with a vital energy supplier. “India and Iran are ancient civilizations whose relations span centuries,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. “Both nations are perfectly capable of managing all aspects of their relationship with the appropriate degree of care and attention.” Mr. Ahmadinejad is to make a brief stop in New Delhi next Tuesday. India and Iran are in talks over a pipeline that would ferry natural gas through Pakistan to the Indian border. An Indian cabinet member is in Pakistan this week for negotiations over pricing. The United States has not favored the pipeline. On Monday, a State Department spokesman, Tom Casey, said India should use the visit to urge Iran to stop nuclear enrichment.
April 23, 2008
Pg. 9
By Somini Sengupta
A day after the Bush administration urged India to step up pressure on Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, on his coming visit to New Delhi, India tartly said it did not need “any guidance on the future conduct of bilateral relations,” making it plain that no saber rattling from its friends in Washington would impair its relationship with a vital energy supplier. “India and Iran are ancient civilizations whose relations span centuries,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. “Both nations are perfectly capable of managing all aspects of their relationship with the appropriate degree of care and attention.” Mr. Ahmadinejad is to make a brief stop in New Delhi next Tuesday. India and Iran are in talks over a pipeline that would ferry natural gas through Pakistan to the Indian border. An Indian cabinet member is in Pakistan this week for negotiations over pricing. The United States has not favored the pipeline. On Monday, a State Department spokesman, Tom Casey, said India should use the visit to urge Iran to stop nuclear enrichment.