Friends don’t snoop, India tells America
1 Aug 2014 5:51 AM IST
India has complained to the United States on the latter’s alleged move to snoop on the Indian leaders.
‘I told them that Indians were very angry when the report came out. I told them that both countries consider each other as friends and friends don’t snoop on each other,’ Swaraj said.
Kerry, whose visit to India is the first high-level engagement between the US administration and prime minister Modi’s new government said, in response, ‘President Obama has undertaken an unprecedented review of intelligence working.’
Kerry said US will support India in seeking membership of the UN Security Council. He said America also supports India to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
In July, a classified document made public by The Washington Post showed that the BJP, which swept the national election in May, was among authorised targets for the NSA in 2010 while it was India’s main opposition. The BJP was listed among six foreign political parties – along with Egypt’s Islamist movement the Muslim Brotherhood and the Pakistan People’s Party – on which the NSA was given permission to carry out surveillance in 2010, said the document published by The Washington Post. It was supplied by fugitive US intelligence worker Edward Snowden.
India had earlier complained to the United States on two previous occasions, in July and November 2013, over other revelations – including the disclosure that its UN mission in New York and its Washington embassy were snooped on. Modi will travel to the United States in September for the UN General Assembly and his first meeting with President Barack Obama. Meanwhile, in perhaps the first explanation of the US denial of visa for Narendra Modi, the Obama administration on Thursday said the decision was taken by the ‘previous’ government.
‘It’s a very big deal. Different government, it’s a different government now. Just like it is here. We will welcome Indian prime minister Modi. He is going to get a welcome. Of course, he will get a visa. No question whatsoever. And we look forward to a terrific meeting with president Obama in September,’ secretary of state John Kerry told a news channel in an interview on Thursday.
He was replying to a question whether the refusal of visa (by the Bush administration) was a mistake as the US government has done a complete turn around now. Kerry said there was no gain in discussing the past. ‘We are going forward. I don’t spend my time going backward in politics or who made what decision. What I try to do is solve current issues and Penny and I are here not to look backward but to look forward,’ he added.
‘I told them that Indians were very angry when the report came out. I told them that both countries consider each other as friends and friends don’t snoop on each other,’ Swaraj said.
Kerry, whose visit to India is the first high-level engagement between the US administration and prime minister Modi’s new government said, in response, ‘President Obama has undertaken an unprecedented review of intelligence working.’
Kerry said US will support India in seeking membership of the UN Security Council. He said America also supports India to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
In July, a classified document made public by The Washington Post showed that the BJP, which swept the national election in May, was among authorised targets for the NSA in 2010 while it was India’s main opposition. The BJP was listed among six foreign political parties – along with Egypt’s Islamist movement the Muslim Brotherhood and the Pakistan People’s Party – on which the NSA was given permission to carry out surveillance in 2010, said the document published by The Washington Post. It was supplied by fugitive US intelligence worker Edward Snowden.
India had earlier complained to the United States on two previous occasions, in July and November 2013, over other revelations – including the disclosure that its UN mission in New York and its Washington embassy were snooped on. Modi will travel to the United States in September for the UN General Assembly and his first meeting with President Barack Obama. Meanwhile, in perhaps the first explanation of the US denial of visa for Narendra Modi, the Obama administration on Thursday said the decision was taken by the ‘previous’ government.
‘It’s a very big deal. Different government, it’s a different government now. Just like it is here. We will welcome Indian prime minister Modi. He is going to get a welcome. Of course, he will get a visa. No question whatsoever. And we look forward to a terrific meeting with president Obama in September,’ secretary of state John Kerry told a news channel in an interview on Thursday.
He was replying to a question whether the refusal of visa (by the Bush administration) was a mistake as the US government has done a complete turn around now. Kerry said there was no gain in discussing the past. ‘We are going forward. I don’t spend my time going backward in politics or who made what decision. What I try to do is solve current issues and Penny and I are here not to look backward but to look forward,’ he added.
Next Story
