Top US diplomat to visit India Friday

NEW DELHI - A top US diplomat is to visit India later this week in a bid to prepare grounds for Secretary of State John Kerry's trip to the country next month, sources said Monday.

"US Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman will arrive in the Indian capital on May 24 for a two-day visit during which she would meet External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, and other senior Indian officials," the sources said.

Apart from discussing a number of bilateral and regional issues, Sherman would also prepare grounds for Secretary Kerry's visit for the India-US Strategic Dialogue to be held in June, they said.

The US diplomat would also travel to the southern Indian city of Hyderabad during the last leg of her trip to meet industry leaders and discuss ways to strengthen the US-India economic cooperation, the sources added.