book

John Kerry Expresses ‘Regret’ Over Indian Diplomat’s Arrest

Secretary of State John Kerry was pulled into an increasingly heated diplomatic row after an Indian consular official working in New York was arrested, strip searched, and accused of paying a housemaid slave wages.

The treatment of India’s Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade has infuriated India and today a spokesman for Kerry said he “empathizes” with the woman and “expressed his regret.”

“As a father of two daughters about the same age as Devyani Khobragade, the secretary empathizes with the sensitivities we are hearing from India about the events that unfolded after Ms. Khobragade’s arrest, and in his conversation with National Security Adviser Menon he expressed his regret, as well as his concern that we not allow this unfortunate public issue to hurt our close and vital relationship with India,” the State Department said in a statement today.

Kerry struck the conciliatory tone after Khobragade was handcuffed last Thursday by the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service and turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service which placed the diplomat in a “general population” cell alongside drug addicts.

The marshals concede she was strip searched, which is standard for inmates.
“It was truly by the book,” said a spokeswoman for the Marshals.

UG先生に教えていただいた話題です。以前，取り上げた”book”book value - 田邉祐司ゼミ 常時英心：言葉の森からとの関連でアップします。

ニューヨークに駐在するインドの女性副領事が、家事手伝いのインド人女性の米国ビザ申請時にうその申告をしたなどとして、米当局に逮捕され、その拘留過程での処遇に問題があったようです。記事の”book”をWeblioで調べると，「《口語》 規則，基準，規範.」という意味にあたります。ここでは「（副領事からといって特別扱いはせず）淡々と規則に従ったまでである」というような文意になると思います。

外交官特権と並んで領事館員にもそれなりの外交プロトコールがあるはずですが、米国側の処遇にインド側が反応したようです。(Ume)