May 19, 2002	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 6, 1423

WASHINGTON, May 18: Secretary of State Colin Powell has full confidence in the US Ambassador to India Robert Blackwill, despite a controversy swirling around his handling of staff and poor morale at his mission in New Delhi, officials said Friday.

“I can say very clearly, the secretary retains confidence in Ambassador Blackwill and told him that himself on the phone when they last talked, I think it was about last weekend,” said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.

“We have an ambassador to India, he continues to be our ambassador to India, we have confidence in the way he conducts himself as our ambassador to India, and we expect him to continue in that capacity.”

Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the department was probing rock bottom morale at the New Delhi mission, amid reports that Blackwill was facing a recall.

Boucher said that Blackwill had not offered to resign, and had not been asked to step down.

But he did not rule out the possibility that Blackwill could be called home. When asked if he would be leaving over the short to medium term, the spokesman replied “I have no indication of anything like that.”

Diplomatic sources said on Wednesday that Blackwill’s management style was unpopular with staff.

“The word from Delhi is that this guy is incredibly arrogant and that he really does treat the staff like furniture,” said a diplomatic source familiar with the situation.

“The morale over there is low and some people say the lowest at any embassy in history,” the source said.

“That may be a bit of an exaggeration, but there is definitely a serious problem at an incredibly important embassy that can’t afford to have that kind of problem.”

The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the two teams from the State Department inspector general’s office had been dispatched to New Delhi to review Blackwill’s performance.

Another diplomatic source described Blackwill as “what we would charitably call an ‘independent operator,’ not a team player.”

The Far Eastern Economic Review reported in its latest edition that “combative” Blackwill faced a recall from his post, which he has held for just 10 months.

The Post reported that Blackwill had faxed a 26-page, point-by-point rebuttal of a report on his performance by Inspector General Clark Kent Ervin, to the State Department.—AFP