‘All hail diversity’ doesn’t play well across the pond.
Via Reuters:
Despite a much-heralded fresh start in U.S.-India ties under Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a diplomatic source said on Friday the United States has run into problems arranging visits by two senior officials, recalling a diplomatic spat that soured relations two years ago.
Washington has been seeking to send Susan Coppedge, its newly appointed anti-people trafficking ambassador, and Randy Berry, its special envoy for LGBT rights, to New Delhi this month.
Human trafficking has caused friction between the United States and India. The countries also disagree on gay rights, which the Obama administration promotes, while homosexuality in India is illegal.
The source, who did not want to identified, said the visits had run into problems.
“These visits were planned, they were meant to be here around this time. But there were some issues,” the source said.
The State Department declined formal comment but a department official said the two sides were “working to coordinate the best timing.”
India’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to request for comment and Indian Ambassador Arun K. Singh did not offer clarification when asked on Thursday about Coppedge’s plan to visit, which was revealed at a Nov. 4 congressional hearing by Kari Johnstone, principal deputy director of the State Department’s trafficking office.
“We’ll see,” Singh told reporters. “When you ask a U.S. official when somebody will be given a visa, they always say ‘we will assess when visa is applied for.’ … I can do no better than to reiterate the U.S. position.”