News World Devyani strip search video hoax, arrest caused hiccups in ties with India: US

Devyani strip search video hoax, arrest caused hiccups in ties with India: US

Washington: The United States has agreed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the arrest of senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade has caused hiccups in the bilateral relationship."I mean, when you hear the Secretary (of State)

Khobragade, the 39-year-old 1999 batch IFS officer, was arrested in New York on December 12 on charges of making false declarations in a visa application for her maid Sangeeta Richard and subjected to strip and cavity search, which had sparked outrage in India and resulted in government enforcing strict "reciprocity" and withdrawing extra privileges.

The US has been describing this as an isolated incident and have been saying that it wants to move forward.

"This isolated episode is not indicative of the close and mutually respectful ties that we share," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said in December.

"What we're focused on now is getting the relationship back on really strong footing. We just have too much important work to do together going forward on a host of issues in the region and around the world," Harf said on Friday.

The US continues to review the paper work that the State Department received from the United Nations on the transfer of Khobragade to the Permanent Mission of India to the UN, which would give her diplomatic immunity.

"There's a judicial process, a legal process underway, and I don't have any estimates for how long that will all take to play out. There's also our diplomatic discussions as well. Just nothing new to announce or guess about here today," Harf said.

Harf also said US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal is looking forward to her maiden visit to India, the schedule for which visit is yet to be announced.

"Our Assistant Secretary certainly looks forward to visiting India as soon as possible," Harf said.

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