Devyani Khobragade case: Top US leadership feels diplomat row 'most stupid thing to do'

[Srinivas]

Devyani Khobragade case: Top US leadership feels diplomat row 'most stupid thing to do'

WASHINGTON: Recognizing the damage that the diplomat row has done to the India-US relationship, there is a realization in the top American leadership that "it was the most stupid thing to do" on their part and that they would now have to "work overtime" to bring back the ties on track.

As Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade landed in New Delhi on Friday night, there was a sense of relief in the US government, with officials expressing their determination to move forward the relationship, which President Barack Obama has described as the defining partnership of the 21st century.

"The US and India enjoy a broad and deep friendship, and this isolated episode is not indicative of the close and mutually respectful ties that we share," White House press secretary Jay Carney said.

Obama, sources said, was regularly updated on the development and US national security advisorSusan Rice too was monitoring the situation; so was secretary of state John Kerry, it is believed.

"This has clearly been a challenging time in the US-India relationship. We expect and hope that this will now come to closure and the Indians will now take significant steps with us to improve our relationship and return it to a more constructive place," state department spokesman Jen Psaki told reporters.

Arrested on December 12, Khobragade, 39, was strip-searched and held with criminals, triggering a row between the two countries with India retaliating by downgrading privileges of certain category of US diplomats among other steps.

Now that the Khobragade has returned to India, sources told that there was "furious" reaction in the top American leadership when this was first brought to their notice on December 12, the day Khobragade was arrested in New York on charges of visa fraud and misrepresentation of facts.

"It was one of the most stupid thing to do," a top American leadership is learnt to have said, referring to the damage the diplomat case has done to the India-US ties.

In fact a source pointed that the level of "furious reaction" in the top American leadership was similar to that of India.

"If the Indians were furious, so were we."

It is one of the reasons why, Kerry in the middle of his overseas trip, made it a point to reach out to external affairs minister Salman Khurshid and since he could not be available at that time, he spoke with national security advisor Shivshankar Menon.

During the conversation, Kerry is believed to have apologised for the incident, sources said.

However, the public statement issued by the state department noted that Kerry expressed his regret to Menon.


Devyani Khobragade case: Top US leadership feels diplomat row 'most stupid thing to do' - The Times of India

 

[thesolar65]

Well, Seems Top Politicians in US are more mature and knows the reality than these members of PDF(Some Pakistani, all Chinese, some Indian turned American). Also it seems that politicians were unaware of arrests until Dec.13. So this work is all because of one stupid Indian-American trying to be one-up-man and take credit (political). He must also be thinking right now "What went wrong"?

 

[Manvantaratruti]

LOL. Are Indians such suckers ?

The case against Dr. Khobragade is still not withdrawn and she is now on the emigration watch-list. So much for the US leadership 'outrage'

 

[StormShadow]

In other words...restore the privileges of the American diplomats in India.

 

[Srinivas]

LOL. Are Indians such suckers ?

The case against Dr. Khobragade is still not withdrawn and she is now on the emigration watch-list. So much for the US leadership 'outrage'

Is it ??

She is in India and India do not have any agreements regarding deportation of its citizens. The case is as good as closed.

 

[fallstuff]

Actually U.S is expecting India to repair the damaged relationship.

India was asked to withdraw her without all the drama back in September, India didn't do it.

India needs to train their diplomats to comply with U.S laws when dealing with domestic helps. Of course India expects the helps to work 18 hour days as they do in India, and to make sure that happens in the foreign lands, they will turn the domestic helps as employees of Indian external ministry.

As many Indian proudly stated in this very forum, you can take the Indian out of India, but you can't take the India out of on Indian.

Indians are willing try to test the will of Mr. Bharara agian, I am going to bet on Mr. Bharara.

 

[Sunny009]

Actually U.S is expecting India to repair the damaged relationship.

India was asked to withdraw her without all the drama back in September, India didn't do it.

India to needs train their diplomats to comply with U.S laws when dealing with domestic helps. Of course India expects the helps to work 18 hour days as they do in India, and to make sure that happens in the foreign lands, they will turn the domestic helps as employees of Indian external ministry.

As many Indian proudly stated in this very forum, you can take the Indian out of India, but you can't take the India out of on Indian.

Indians are willing try to test the will of Mr. Bharara agian, I am going to bet on Mr. Bharara.

Oh bhai, Bharara is also of Indian origin. You cannot selectively apply adage as it suits your argument. .

 

[agamdilawari]

Subah ka bhula sham ko ghar aajye to use bhula nahi kehte. Koi nahi Umrika..bade bade deshon mein aisi choti choti baatein hoti rehti hai

 

[SwAggeR]

It was akin to Raymond Devis episode. First let them break the code and then snatch him .

Actually U.S is expecting India to repair the damaged relationship.

India was asked to withdraw her without all the drama back in September, India didn't do it.

India to needs train their diplomats to comply with U.S laws when dealing with domestic helps. Of course India expects the helps to work 18 hour days as they do in India, and to make sure that happens in the foreign lands, they will turn the domestic helps as employees of Indian external ministry.

As many Indian proudly stated in this very forum, you can take the Indian out of India, but you can't take the India out of on Indian.

Indians are willing try to test the will of Mr. Bharara agian, I am going to bet on Mr. Bharara.

Who told you that US asked India to withdraw her in September itself ??

 

[thesolar65]

Is it ??

She is in India and India do not have any agreements regarding deportation of its citizens. The case is as good as closed.

And this is an excerpt from an Article I read in Google news just now.
Our bottom lines on diplomat issue did not meet, says U.S. official
Two days after she departed from the U.S. under the protection of full diplomatic immunity linked to her temporary assignment to India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, it has emerged that the U.S. prosecutors led by Attorney Preet Bharara were willing to reduce the felony charges on which Ms. Khobragade has been indicted by a grand jury.

However, sources said on condition of anonymity, “A misdemeanour is still a criminal count… For us the idea that an Indian diplomat faces criminal charges was out of question.”

Apparently the Indian point of view that even an option requiring Ms. Khobragade to plead guilty to a criminal charge and “pay $1” was unacceptable. As a result, sources said, “We tried everything in the book to see if our bottom lines met and our bottom lines did not meet.”

The moment it became clear that an “impasse” had been reached the Indian side concluded, “The only option left for us was to pursue the route of getting the visa for her as a diplomat of the U.N.”

 

[fallstuff]

Oh bhai, Bharara is also of Indian origin. You cannot selectively apply adage as it suits your argument. .

He grew up in United States. He didn't grow up in India, else he would been an "Indian."

In regards to the role of the prosecutor and the correct attitude of the prosecutor Mr. Bharara will ask all applicants to his office "How are you going to feel knowing that every day in your job, by definition of you doing your job correctly on the criminal side, you will basically be the proximate cause for, and responsible for, another human being losing his or her liberty for periods of time?" He continues, "From time to time, you get an applicant that is a little bit excited about that prospect. And takes some joy in that prospect. And they are a little too zealous about it. And you know what we do? We don't hire that person." "You don't want a justice system where you have prosecutors who are cowboys"

There is nothing Indian about the above quote.

 

[Indo-guy]

LOL. Are Indians such suckers ?

The case against Dr. Khobragade is still not withdrawn and she is now on the emigration watch-list. So much for the US leadership 'outrage'

They are 'stupid' as per their own admission ....and they are worst 'hypocrites' that is world wide known fact !

 

[thesolar65]

And also this :

"Devyani was seen off at the airport by an official of the State Department," he told reporters Friday morning. "He told Devyani that, 'Madam, I am sorry, and it was wrong.' She told the official, "You have lost a good friend. It is unfortunate. In return, you got a maid and a drunken driver. They are in, and we are out."

 

[faithfulguy]

Is it ??

She is in India and India do not have any agreements regarding deportation of its citizens. The case is as good as closed.

As long as she does not step her food on the US, she is fine.

 

[Srinivas]

As long as she does not step her food on the US, she is fine.

She can be a diplomat and can also work for UN in the future, if the charges framed on her are false, Yeah she can visit USA in that case with out any problem.