Posted on 02/23/2006 4:49:15 PM PST by ketelone
WASHINGTON’S CHANGE OF HEART Ex-IISc chief gets visa to US
From Shyam Bhatia DH News Service Washington:
The State Department’s change of heart came after concern was expressed in several quarters, both in the US and abroad, that distinguished foreign scientists are being needlessly excluded from attending legitimate conferences, seminars and lectures in America.
Professor Goverdhen Mehta will be able to travel to the US as planned after the State Department in Washington backed down and told Deccan Herald that a visa has been approved for the former Director of the Indian Institute of Science.
A US State Department spokesman told Deccan Herald, “The case has been resolved. Professor Mehta’s visa has been approved. Exceptional measures have been taken to ensure that he will be able to travel as planned.”
The State Department’s change of heart came after concern was expressed in several quarters, both in the US and abroad, that distinguished foreign scientists are being needlessly excluded from attending legitimate conferences, seminars and lectures in America.
On Thursday the Paris-based International Council for Science (ICSU) rallied behind Dr Mehta, who also happens to be the ICSU president, by expressing its “grave concern” at the hostile treatment he received while applying for a visa at the US consulate in Chennai.
Officers of the ICSU said that by accusing Dr Mehta of hiding information relevant to chemical warfare US officials had confirmed that “all is far from well with regards to the visa policies and associated practices for scientists wishing to enter the USA.”
The statement continues, “ICSU was created 75 years ago to facilitate the exchange of scientists and ensure that science contributes to a better world for all of us. Non- discrimination and equity are the essential elements of the Principle of the Universality of Science...respect for this Principle and for individual scientist is, we believe, a normal expectation in any democratic society.
“The USA has always been a very strong supporter (and beneficiary) of ICSU and we hope this will be demonstrated in the future, not only in its policies but also its practices as regards the free exchange of scientists.”
The ICSU has piled on the embarrassment faced by the State Department in Washington which is caught between playing up President George W Bush’s forthcoming visit to South Asia and trying to avoid commenting on the chain of events that started when Dr Mehta was invited to deliver a lecture by the University of Florida. When he and his wife made the 200-mile trip from Bangalore to the US consulate in Chennai to pick up his visa, he was humiliated when he was accused of deception and by the way his accounts of his research were questioned. Describing his contact with the US consulate as “the most degrading experience of my life”, Dr Mehta asked for and had his passport returned with “visa refusal” stamped on it.
Commenting on the incident, Board of International Scientific Organisations Director Wendy White said, “This leaves a terrible impression of the US. We want people to know the US is an open and welcoming country.”
Turned out some folk high up knew that he wasnt a risk of any sort, and they made sure it was taken care of.
Just posting as a follow up to the previous thread mentioning that he'd been denied.
PS: Im back after a long vacation! :)
This controversy was started by a leftist State Dept. clerk who appeared to advance an agenda before Pres. Bush's visit to India next week. Goverdhan has been to the USA forty times in the past and was certainly no threat!!
So it looks like this little tempest in a teapot is now over.
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