An eminent American expert on South Asia on Tuesday cautioned the Obama Administration not to push India on climate change and instead concentrate on other issues so as to deepen the strategic partnership between the two countries.

"It would probably be a mistake by the Obama Administration to focus solely on the climate change issue which is really going to be a hard sell in India," Lisa Curtis, Senior Research fellow at Asian Studies Center, the Heritage Foundation, said.

"I do not think that the US should allow this issue to overshadow everything else that the two countries accomplished together," Curtis said, adding there are other aspects of the bilateral relationship which should be the focus of the two respective governments.

On the visit of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to India, she said the visit was the first step in trying to boost the relationship to third phase. It is a promising sign of the commitment of the Obama Administration towards India.

The joint statement released at the end of Clinton's visit, she said, reflects that the two countries are interested in cooperating on a range of issues, including military, despite the differences on the climate change. "It looks like she made the case that Pakistan is moving against terror, particularly in the North West Frontier Province," Curtis said.

She argued that Clinton made it clear that India and US would cooperate on terrorism and would continue to have close coordination which began after the terrorist attack in Mumbai last November.

"It looks like Kashmir issue stayed out of the public references," she said, adding most of the discussion focused on bilateral and strategic relationship.

"But one could speculate that privately she did make a case for Pakistan is beginning to turn its gun on the terror recognising the threat and this would be an opportunity for India to also try to common cause with Pakistan against terrorism," she said.

Referring to the statements made by Clinton on nuclear deal, Curtis said this demonstrated the Obama Administration's commitment to seeing that agreement through. Clinton has been able to reassure the Indian Government that the Obama Administration is committed to see that through, Curtis said.

"The fact that Prime Minister Singh would be paying the first State visit under the Obama Administration to Washington is quite significant. That shows the keen interest by the Obama Administration in really trying to push the relationship forward," Curtis said.