WASHINGTON, Jan 18: US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns, who played a key role in negotiating America’s nuclear deal with India, has decided to quit the Bush administration in the last year of its eight-year reign.

“He’s decided it’s the right moment to go back to family concerns, and while it is a sad thing for us, it is certainly something I understand and respect,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters in Washington on Friday.

“This is a very bittersweet time for us,” said Ms Rice with Mr Burns, a 26-year veteran of the Foreign Service, standing next to her. “He has simply had a stellar career as a diplomat.”

Mr Burns, 51, said he intends to pursue other opportunities outside of government.

William Burns, US ambassador to Russia, will replace Nicholas Burns as America’s third most senior diplomat. William Burns, among America’s most low-profile diplomats, is a former assistant secretary of state for the Middle East and ambassador to Jordan. The two men aren’t related.

While Ms Rice quoted “family reasons” for Mr Burns’ departure, diplomatic sources in Washington say this could also be a strategic move.

Several key officials left the Bush administration in 2007, the last year of its two-term rule. The winner of the 2008 presidential election will officially begin his tenure on Jan 20, 2009.

It is not unusual in America for senior officials to quit the administration in its last year as it gives them enough time to look for a job before everybody else also joins the queue.

With 26 years of experience with both Republican and Democratic administrations, Mr Burns will be an asset for a private firm. Staying out of the Bush administration for an entire year will also make him more acceptable to the new administration.

The new administration, whether Democrat or Republican, will need the services of seasoned diplomats like Mr Burns to deal with the issues the outgoing administration leaves behind.

Mr Burns will leave in March but will continue to assist the administration’s effort to conclude the US-India nuclear agreement that he helped negotiate, Ms Rice said.

As undersecretary of state for political affairs, Mr Burns has dealt with many controversial issues facing the Bush administration, including the current US effort to mobilise international support behind a new UN resolution on Iran.

Mr Burns joined the Foreign Service in 1983. He served as US ambassador to Greece and

Nato and as State Department spokesman.