Indian PM to meet Obama next week

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is all set to meet US President Barack Obama next week in Washington to review implementation of civil nuclear deal and defense cooperation between the two countries, Indian foreign secretary, Sujatha Singh announced Friday. "Both sides will review progress in implementation of the civil nuclear initiative that is a pillar of our strategic partnership," Singh said during a media briefing. She said the two leaders would also discuss clean energy, expanding partnership in hydrocarbons, as well as efforts to develop partnership between the two countries in peaceful uses of nuclear energy. India and US had signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement in 2008. Indian prime minister will be on a five-day visit to US from Sep 27. The meeting between the two leaders will take place on September 27 before the Prime Minister would address the UN General Assembly in New York the following day. "We expect that the Summit level meeting between US and India will reaffirm political commitment to the ongoing effort on both sides to intensify our strategic partnership," foreign secretary noted. India said both leaders will also discuss how to explore ways of expanding defence ties beyond a buyer-seller relationship to a joint partnership in design, development and production of defence material. "We are also interested in intensifying cooperation between our Home Ministry and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to enhance capacity building including in policing of large cities, partnerships in security technologies, combating counterfeit currency, and in securing ports, airports and land border terminals," she added. Foreign secretary said sides are working at a senior official level to address issues of concern on each side as with regard to issues relating to non-immigrant visas for our highly skilled workers. Besides, she said India would hold wide-ranging consultations with the US on regional and global issues.