WASHINGTON, July 18:  The US has said the aftermath of last year’s Khobragade incident has led to the development of closer ties and closer communication with India.
“I think that despite the fact that we had this very uncomfortable and unfortunate situation that we had to work through, at the end of the day I think we have developed closer ties and closer communication with our two systems as a result,” Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, Nisha Desai Biswal said.
We have certainly spent many, many long hours discussing with our Indian colleagues ways to ensure that we have greater understandings and greater clarity about our expectations of each other under each other’s laws and under each other’s systems, she said.
“I think that that has been time well spent. We’ve also focused a great deal on ensuring that we have more clear and transparent communication to ensure that we anticipate problems before they happen, that we clearly communicate those problems and that we resolve them,” she said.
Terming the Khobragade incident as a “real friction point”, Senator Tim Kaine said these kinds of things will come up but it almost seemed like the friction was more about the sort of communication and how it was handled than the initial incident, which could have been handled.
“Have we learned anything from that, both the US and India in the aftermath of that and can we put those lessons to use to avoid this kind of a friction in the future?” she asked.
Khobragade, a 1999 India Foreign Service officer and mother of two daughters has now returned to India. However, the US has still not withdrawn the allegations against her.
Both Khobragade and the Indian Government has denied those charges.
“Indo–US ties were strained in December 2013 when the US arrested Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade for underpaying her Indian maid while serving at the Indian consulate in New York,” Lisa Curtis of The Heritage Foundation said.
She said the details of Khobragade’s arrest, particularly reports that she was handcuffed in front of her children’s school and strip-searched while in detention, infuriated the Indian public.
“Washington, for its part, was taken aback by the fierce Indian reaction, which included withdrawing diplomatic privileges for US diplomats and removing security barriers at the US embassy in New Delhi,” she said.
“The BJP’s assumption of power offers an opportunity to move beyond the Khobragade episode and revive ties by focusing on building cooperation on defense, security, economic and trade, counterterrorism, and other issues of mutual concern,” she said.
The previous BJP-led government (1998–2004) was instrumental in elevating ties between Washington and New Delhi and in laying a solid foundation for a strategic partnership, she added. (PTI)

UNITED NATIONS, July 18:  UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged Israel to “do far more” to spare Palestinian civilians after it launched a ground offensive in Gaza.
“I regret that despite my repeated urgings, and those of many regional and world leaders together, an already dangerous conflict has now escalated even further,” Ban told reporters yesterday.
The UN chief described as “appalling” the death of four boys killed by Israeli strikes Wednesday on a Gaza City beach.
“I urge Israel to do far more to stop civilian casualties. There can be no military solution to this conflict,” he said.
Israel began a ground operation in Gaza yesterday, on the 10th day of an offensive to stamp out rocket fire from the Hamas-run enclave that has had a heavy toll on Palestinian lives.  (AGENCIES)

JOHANNESBURG, July 18:  A digital exhibition featuring the lives of Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela as two of the greatest leaders of the past century has kicked off a month- long Indian festival here today that will celebrate the strong bonds between India and South Africa.
Hosted jointly by the South African Ministry of Arts and Culture and the Indian High Commission, the festival will see various Indian arts and cultural activities being taken beyond the major cities of the country, as has largely been the case in the past with visiting Indian artists.
“It marks several things – the centenary of Mahatma Gandhi’s return to India; 20 years of democracy in South Africa and 20 years of relations with India; and of course the birthday of the father of the nation, Nelson Mandela,” said Virendra Gupta, India’s High Commissioner to South Africa.
“Gandhiji’s 20 years in South Africa fighting oppression here led to his Satyagraha principles which he took right back to India to energise the freedom struggle there,” he said.
He said the aim of the festival is “to celebrate with this strong bonds between India and South Africa which are underpinned by the two tallest individuals that we have seen”.
The Exhibition is being put up at Constitutional Hill, which was formerly a notorious prison where both Gandhi and Mandela had been jailed.
20 school children will be brought from India to participate in discussion based on the exhibition with hundreds of local pupils.
The next phase of the Festival involves the opening of a Garden of Remembrance at Tolstoy Farm, where Gandhi established a self-sufficient commune during his tenure in Johannesburg.
Long-term plans for the revival of the now derelict area are under discussion with local community organisations.
Other events during the festival will include an exhibition on the monuments of India, a cricket exhibition match, three dance groups from India showing the evolution of the art form in India, besides a film festival and musical performances.
South African Deputy Minister of Arts and Culture Rejoice Mabudafhasi echoed Gupta’s sentiments about the special relationship with India.
“The Festival we are launching today is part of the agreement that we would host reciprocal festivals in each other’s countries,” the minister said as she thanked the High Commission for taking the festival to rural areas as well.
“That is real cooperation, as even those in rural areas will be able to participate,” she said. (PTI)