'Snub' to India? Obama calls Hu Jintao

[dr.umer]

'Snub' to India? Obama calls Hu Jintao

9 Nov 2008

NEW DELHI, Nov 9: In continuation of the ‘snub’ to India, US President-elect Barack Obama today spoke to Chinese President Hu Jintao. Till now, Mr Obama has returned calls to 16 world leaders, including Hu, but as reported by The Statesman on 8 November, the “snub” to the Indian Prime Minister continues.

The Ministry of External Affairs however maintain that they are unaffected by Mr Obama’s call to the Chinese leader and points out that Mr Obama will call the Indian Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, in due course of time. Officials insist that too much is being read into these telephone calls and this is not an indication of the strength of Indo-US relationship which remains strong.

This, however, does not explain the fact that as of 8 November, when Mr Obama called the Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari, the Indian government had maintained that Mr Obama was returning calls only to countries that were having of some military alliance with the US. Officials in the MEA had particularly pointed out that both China and India had not received the call since both did not share a military alliance with USA.

This explanation no longer holds forth. But then the government seems to have no new answer for this latest development and embarrassment.

As President-elect of the US, Mr Obama’s first actions are significant since they indicate areas that will be the focus of his administration. The calls to his allies are understandable but the absence of a call to India is quite a snub, especially since India is today regarded as the balancing power to the rise of China in Asia.

In his conversation with the Chinese President, Mr Obama discussed major global issues of common concern, including the financial turmoil, with the Communist leader saying the two countries should “accommodate each other’s concerns” and appropriately settle “sensitive” issues like Taiwan. Mr Obama described China as a great nation, and said that China’s development and success meet US interests.

[Flintlock]

Really....some people need to get a new job.

[Always Neutral]

Originally Posted by Flintlock

Really....some people need to get a new job.

Why its a good article and in the world of real politick it sends a subtle message.

Regards

[Imran Khan]

when obama have free time he will call manmohen because they have so many isues

[Nihat]

This is such a petty issue to argue over , it's like two pesky brothers fighting each other on who the father loves more. Incredibly silly

So if a president - elect has not called a world leader and supposed ally , would this mean that he is isolating that nation or sending cold vibes , Really ?

All the noise he makes until Jan 19th counts for absolutely nothing in tangible terms , let him join office first and then whatever decisions he takes will matter.

Right now , the president is George W Bush and whatever little I know of this man , he can still start a World War in 70 odd days . Controlling him is top priority , till he leaves

[AgNoStIc MuSliM]

Amongst the people who 'need to get a job', add the Indian governments mouth piece, the Times of India, that had the ostensible 'snub' as their main headline a day or so ago.

Well, actually the headline was about how no one in India 'cared' that Obama hadn't called.

What a way to indicate one 'doesn't care', blare it from the rooftops!

Not that the lack of a call necessarily means anything, but your own media is the one making an issue out of it, or rather an issue out of how it isn't an issue.

[Goodperson]

Originally Posted by AgNoStIc MuSliM

Amongst the people who 'need to get a job', add the Indian governments mouth piece, the Times of India, that had the ostensible 'snub' as their main headline a day or so ago.

Well, actually the headline was about how no one in India 'cared' that Obama hadn't called.

What a way to indicate one 'doesn't care', blare it from the rooftops!

Not that the lack of a call necessarily means anything, but your own media is the one making an issue out of it, or rather an issue out of how it isn't an issue.

Who say's TOI is India governments Mouth piece ? This news did appear in other sections of Media, Media does print such news items which may carry interest or not.

The article was about how Obama did not care about calling Manmohan which is shift from Bush policy this media found as interesting and published.

Btw this news item is trivial for many.

[AgNoStIc MuSliM]

Originally Posted by Goodperson

Btw this news item is trivial for many.

Obviously not for the ToI, that decided to put up a story indicating a 'lack of interest' in the lack of a call' as their Main Headline.

[Goodperson]

Originally Posted by AgNoStIc MuSliM

Obviously not for the ToI, that decided to put up a story indicating a 'lack of interest' in the lack of a call' as their Main Headline.

Oh! In that case you should have provided TOI link

but one should not miss the para

Some pundits have interpreted Obama not calling Singh as an affront and an indication that India will not be a priority for the new Democratic dispensation, but Indian officials were not particularly agitated, saying the media was just "over-analyzing" the matter. "Of course we are not in the same league as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand and we are happy not to be," the first official told ToI.

The Correspondent seems to picked up on that and chose the heading.

[Judas Iscariote]

Obama leaves India call waiting

Bruce Loudon, South Asia correspondent | November 10, 2008
Article from: The Australian

THE failure by Barack Obama to include Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his initial rounds of calls to at least 15 world leaders after his election was causing raised eyebrows in New Delhi last night as officials moved hurriedly to rectify the oversight.

The incident came as controversy surrounded an Indian expatriate living in the US who was appointed to serve as a senior member of Senator Obama's transition team despite being accused in the Indian media of having close links to a right-wing Hindu fundamentalist group.

Senior Indian officials said yesterday they were disinclined to "get their knickers in a twist" over Senator Obama's failure to call Dr Singh, even though Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari received a call.

Senator Obama reportedly intends to set his sights on the long-standing dispute in Kashmir as the key to dealing with the Afghanistan conflict, possibly appointing former president Bill Clinton as a special envoy,

One senior official was quoted yesterday by the Times of India as saying the media was "over-analysing" the failure to call Dr Singh, and adding wryly: "Of course, we are not in the same league as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand, and we are happy not to be."

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd was among those on Senator Obama's initial list, and the president-elect has telephoned at least 15 other world leaders over the weekend.

To the chagrin of some commentators in New Delhi, where such matters are closely dissected, Senator Obama spent 20 minutes talking with Mr Zardari, who told him of Pakistan's eagerness for improved relations with Washington and an end to the US cross-border missile strikes inside Pakistani territory.

But still there was no call to Dr Singh. The best explanation officials in New Delhi could come up with was that the Indian Prime Minister had been on his way to the Gulf on an official visit to Muscat, Oman and Qatar.

Of the call to Mr Zardari, an official in New Delhi said: "We should be quite relieved we are not in the same crisis league, right?" He added: "It is better to suffer from US inattention than US attention."

But there was no doubt the oversight rankled in New Delhi, and was regarded as surprising given the recent successful conclusion of the landmark civilian Indo-US nuclear deal, which has such enormous potential strategic implications for bilateral and regional relations.

Indian apprehension about what Senator Obama may have in mind for Kashmir is palpable. Suggestions the Obama administration might seek to intervene and force a settlement of the Kashmir dispute, holding that out as a carrot to Mr Zardari for Pakistan to commit itself more forcefully to defeating al-Qa'ida and the Taliban, got a swift response yesterday from Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee.

"This is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan," Mr Mukherjee said bluntly, thereby effectively ruling out any intervention by Washington.

[Judas Iscariote]

I'm soooo loving this!

[Imran Khan]

Originally Posted by Neo

I'm soooo loving this!

i thing obama mobile have no balance when he recharge first call to manmohen and also manmohen don't have nomber of obama because his mobile have one nomber thats G.W BUSH

[Flintlock]

Originally Posted by Neo

I'm soooo loving this!

..and why would that be, exactly?

For goodness sake, Obama is "President Elect". Its a good two months to go before he becomes the President.

BTW.....what I meant was is the people at TOI needed to get a new job, along with the political pundits.

[Flintlock]

Originally Posted by Always Neutral

Why its a good article and in the world of real politick it sends a subtle message.

Regards

Subtle message my arse. I'm guessing that President Elect has better things to do than send "subtle messages" to India.

There are more than a hundred countries whose heads of state he hasn't given a call, and I daresay some of them are important countries as well. I don't see the Italian press complaining that Obama hasn't called their President yet.

Press is always sensationalist, and tends to give out the extreme version of things (within often stretched ethical limits) in order to grab more eyeballs.

[Imran Khan]

Delhi shrugs off Obama call that never came,


Chidanand Rajghatta,TNN






WASHINGTON: In the short saga of the phone call which hasn't materialized so far, the mandarins are having a good laugh over pundits who have gotten their knickers in a twist.

Turns out that the high priests of Indian diplomacy are not as perturbed as pundits in the media over America's president-elect Barack Obama not telephoning Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, although he has spoken to 15 other world leaders, including Pakistan's Asif Ali Zardari, in the past two days.

"We should be quite relieved that we are not in the same crisis league, right?" one official joked, expanding on the new diplomatic adage that "it is better to suffer from US inattention than US attention."

The official, a key figure in the US-India loop, did not offer any explanation why Obama had not called Singh, but said New Delhi was happy it was placed in the same league as Beijing and Moscow, the other capitals Obama was yet to reach. In a more serious vein, another official explained that "mutually convenient times" could not be found for the call before Singh left for the Gulf region on Friday.

The US President-elect phoned leaders of Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico and South Korea on Thursday and followed it up with calls to President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy, President Lech Kaczynski and Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero of Spain, and Pakistan's Asif Ali Zardari on Friday as he began to connect with the world.

Some pundits have interpreted Obama not calling Singh as an affront and an indication that India will not be a priority for the new Democratic dispensation, but Indian officials were not particularly agitated, saying the media was just "over-analyzing" the matter. "Of course we are not in the same league as South Korea, Australia and New Zealand and we are happy not to be," the first official told ToI.

Obama's transition office did not respond to messages seeking details of the call schedule.

Prime Minister Singh in the meantime has left New Delhi on a maiden three-day visit to the energy-rich Gulf region where he will be talking to leaders of Oman and Qatar. Modern communication facilities do not preclude a Singh-Obama conversation on the go, but the Indian side is not holding its breath, although the second official expected it to take place soon.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to be in Washington this coming weekend for the G-20 summit convened by President Bush, when there is a chance he will meet with Obama, since Bush has said the president-elect will be involved in the deliberations. It's another matter whether the President-elect would want to be involved in the meeting.

Obama has also written a letter to Singh during the latter's visit here in September, contents of which are being parsed for signs of which way future US-India ties will go in a Democratic dispensation.

But a former aide to Prime Minister Singh, who pointed out that Obama's first 100 days in office will coincide with the UPA government's last 100 days, surmises that ties between the two countries have reached a stage where change in governments will not make substantial difference.

The two officials who spoke to ToI on background also said exchanges between the President-elect and the Prime Minister had been warm and friendly and New Delhi did not particularly anticipate any backslide in the excellent relations it has enjoyed with Washington in recent years. The Prime Minister even wrote a personal letter to Obama with condolences on his grandmother's death earlier in the week