India An Ever Changing Place, Says John Kerry

A day before his meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on the Indo-U.S. strategic dialogue, he said the U.S. is looking for "co-production and co-development in defence systems".

He said India will "soon have more C-17s" Globemaster aircraft than any country in the world, even more than the US itself.

Elaborating on India's role in its security vision for the Asian region, he said "India is a key part of the U.S. rebalance in Asia and we are committed to that rebalance".

He said that India-U.S. security interests are based on "a wide range of maritime and broader regional issues" and the U.S. "values India's role in our mutual efforts to ensure a stable and prosperous Asia".

Praising India's constructive role in Afghanistan, Kerry suggested that India could also play a crucial role in the Afghan 2014 elections.

"India can play a critical role in supporting these elections," he said, adding that New Delhi could help "Afghanistan in improving the electoral system in creating a credible and independent framework for resolving disputes".

He also sought to clear the air on proposed talks with the Taliban, which India has stressed should be "Afghan-led and Afghan-owned".

Kerry said: "Let me be clear, any political settlement has to be on the Taliban breaking ties with the Al Qaeda, renouncing violence and accepting the Afghan constitution, including its protection for all Afghan woman and men."

He said that Afghanistan "cannot again become a safe haven for international terrorism" and the US is committed to countering terrorism in that country where the U.S.-led forces are set to drawdown next year.

India has said that it has "reservations" about the Taliban and it would support "an Afghan-led and Afghan-owned" peace initiative.

He mentoned Nirbhaya, the Delhi gang-rape victim, and the massive protests against her brutal rape, in his speech.

He said women and men should strive as equals. And when "inequalities or violence seeks to stamp out equality as with the tragic death of Nirbhaya, whose memory I was proud to honour at the State Department recently; We must all stand up and say 'No', just as so many did in New Delhi by demanding justice."

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