New Delhi : The choice of Condoleezza Rice as the new secretary of state augurs well for India-U.S. relations and to realize President Bush’s vision of a strategic partnership between the two countries, analysts said on Nov. 16.

“I congratulate her. I believe her appointment as secretary of state is very good for India-U.S. relations,” Brajesh Mishra, national security adviser with the previous Vajpayee administration, told Indo-Asian News Service.

Lalit Mansingh, former ambassador to United States who retired from service earlier this year, also said Rice’s appointment is “good news” for India.

“I think it is good news for us. She is familiar with India and had close contact with our leadership, particularly the national security adviser. We expect her to keep the focus on India and continue with President Bush’s policy towards India,” he said and noted that the U.S. had designated India as a strategic partner. “It is reassuring for us somebody like her who is familiar with our policies and leadership is at the helm of affairs,” Mansingh added.

Uday C. Bhaskar, deputy director of the Institute for Defense Studies and Analyses, said Rice’s challenge would be to realize Bush’s vision of the world, including how he wanted India-U.S. relations to develop. “Under Colin Powell, for some reason, much of that vision remained unrealized. Also U.S. approach to India continued to remain in the India-Pakistan groove, probably because of other considerations like 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq,” he said. “For Rice, as far as India is concerned, the challenge in many ways is to realize the Bush vision about bilateral relations and giving a positive direction to the NSSP (Next Steps in Strategic Partnership).”

The NSSP, initiated by the two countries earlier this year, envisages cooperation in civil space and nuclear technology, high technology trade and missile defense. But Bhaskar pointed out that Rice’s expertise is more with Cold War strategies, particularly U.S.-Soviet relations. “But she has shown to be a quick learner. And she has been closer to the White House than the State Department. How she translates this into reality is to be seen,” he added.