New Delhi:
The US would welcome India’s involvement in efforts to end the war in the Middle East, American Ambassador to India Sergio Gor told NDTV today. However, India has to decide what it wants to do, he added.
“The United States would welcome their involvement as they have welcomed many other countries,” Gor said to a question whether India could play a role in the peace process. “That would be a question for India, to be honest… I think the whole world can have a role in the peace process, and that includes India.”
President Donald Trump was not being selective about who could help bring the conflict to a close, Gor said. “The president welcomes everybody who wants to be involved in this. The president welcomes anybody who wants to be a part of it.”
The interview came hours after Gor returned from Washington, where he said he had met “virtually the entire cabinet” including the commerce secretary, treasury, the USTR and the Department of Defence, as well as Trump.
“We have a lot of big-ticket items,” he said, indicating announcements on trade and bilateral issues could come within days, but declined to specify what they would cover. “You might see some news over the next few days, but it’s not for me to give you tonight.”
Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke for some 40 minutes, he said, and confirmed that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio would visit India next month ahead of a planned visit by Trump.
Without naming Iran, Gor said only one country is holding the Strait of Hormuz hostage. “These are international waters. No country should be able to hold and blockade the whole world,” he told NDTV, adding Washington has been asking all nations to press for the waterway to reopen, a call that extended to New Delhi as well.
