NEW DELHI — India’s government said Saturday that there was no standoff with the United States over the arrest and strip search of an Indian diplomat in New York, as both countries appear eager to defuse the month-long dispute.
After meeting with the diplomat, Devyani Khobragade, following her return to New Delhi, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid downplayed tensions with the U.S., saying the two countries would sort out their issues.
Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general in New York, was indicted by a U.S. federal grand jury on accusations that she exploited her Indian-born housekeeper and nanny, allegedly having her work more than 100 hours a week for low pay and lying about it on a visa form. She denies the charge.
She was allowed to return home in an apparent compromise with India, and arrived in New Delhi on Friday night.
After the United States requested that Khobragade leave the country, India asked Washington to withdraw a diplomat from the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi. The State Department said it would comply, although with “deep regret.”
“We expect and hope that this will now come to closure, and the Indians will now take significant steps with us to improve our relationship and return it to a more constructive place,” said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki in Washington.
