Don't Want Devyani Khobragade Issue To Negatively Impact Relationship With India: U.S.

Washington:  The United States does not want the arrest of senior Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade to negatively impact its important bilateral relationship with the country, a top U.S. administration official has said.

"We don't want this to negatively impact our relationship, that we work on a broad range of issues together, our bilateral relationship is too important. And we've said repeatedly that we don't want it," the State Department Deputy Spokesperson, Marie Harf, told reporters at her daily news conference.

Ms Harf was responding to questions about the impact on India –U.S. relationship the arrest of an Indian diplomat has had.

Devyani Khobragade, 39, was arrested on December 12 on charges of making false declarations in a visa application for her maid Sangeeta Richard. She was released on a $250,000 bond.

Subsequent revelations that she was strip searched and held in jail with drug addicts and criminals triggered a row between the two sides.

"We had some good conversations with our Indian counterparts. And that's why what we're doing right now is letting that process play itself out and focusing from our end on moving the relationship forward, on the ground and here as well," Ms Harf said.

The Indian Government has transferred Ms Khobragade to the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, with the view that this would give her the necessary diplomatic immunity from arrest.

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