12-17-2010, 11:08 AM
Quote: Rahul is an elusive contact: US envoy:
US envoy Timothy Roemer quoted in the WikiLeaks cables said, "Over the past four years, he (Rahul) was an elusive contact, but he could be interested in reaching out to the United States, given a thoughtful, politically sensitive and strategic approach on our part".
Roemer spoke about the need to reach out to the young leaders of the country. "We will seek other opportunities to engage with him and with other promising young members of the new generation of parliamentarians," he was quoted as having said.
"Gandhi mentioned that in the recent election, 60 members of the new Parliament were 45 or younger," according to the cable. "In a system long viewed as relatively static, the influx of new faces and the rising profile of young leaders like Rahul Gandhi provides us an opening to expand the constituency in support of the strategic partnership with a long term horizon," Roemer said.
This particular cable is one of about 3,038 US diplomatic cables sent from Delhi and leaked by the whistle-blower website.
WikiLeaks is releasing a quarter million secret US documents and 5,087 records amongst these refer to India.