Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai will leave for three day official visit to the United States next week. He will hold talks with his counterpart on important regional and bilateral issues including situation in Afghanistan. An official spokesperson told reporters in New Delhi today that Mr. Mathai will be traveling to the US from the 6th to 8th of this month for regular Foreign Office Consultations. He added that the visit expects to cover a wide spectrum of issues including status of nuclear commerce between the two countries and fresh sanctions imposed by the US and the EU on Iranian oil.

Mathai's visit is also expected to set the stage for the visit of External Affairs Minister to Washington for the third India-US strategic dialogue later this year. Last month, Mathai had said, India will not seek a waiver from the US sanctions against Tehran and will continue buying Iranian oil. Mathai has also made it clear that while India will adhere to the UN sanctions it is not bound by unilateral sanctions imposed by other countries.