Obama 'greatly values' Indo-US ties,looking forward to meet PM

Lalit K Jha

Washington, Mar 31 (PTI) Ahead of his meeting with Indian
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the White House has said
President Barack Obama greatly values Indo-US relationship and
wants to "further advance the impressive partnership" the two
countries have established in the last one decade.

Obama leaves Tuesday to attend the G-20 summit in London
on the sidelines of which he would be meeting Singh on April
2.

This would be Obama's first meeting with the Indian
leader after he was elected as President last year, to which
he is eagerly "looking forward to", the White House said.

"The President is looking forward to meeting with Prime
Minister Singh in London," Mike Hammer, spokesman of National
Security Council, White House, told PTI.

"He greatly values the US-India relationship and wants to
continue, build on, and advance further the impressive
partnership that has been established," Hammer said.

The President recognises and appreciates the incredible
contribution made by Indian-Americans to the US economy and
society and also the vast connections that are developing
between Indian and American investors, academics, and
families, he said.

Obama hopes to foster and nurture those relationships
through bilateral and regional initiatives that support strong
ties, he said.

"The President also believes that the US and India have
common interests and concerns on many global issues and he
hopes to be able to work with India to address these
challenges together in a spirit of mutual cooperation," Hammer
said.

During the meeting the two leaders are expected to
discuss a wide range of issues, prominent among them being the
current situation in India's immediate neighbourhood,
Afghanistan and Pakistan and Obama's new Af-Pak policy, which
he unveiled last week.

The current global economic crisis, climate change and
the bilateral relationship too would dominate the meetings.

Speaking to a group of select foreign journalists,
including PTI, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner Monday said
the two leaders would be taking stock of the full range of
issues and interests between the two countries.

"I think, we start with a very good working relationship
with the economic agencies involved. We are trying to figure
out how to build on that. Obviously we will listen to the
ideas from the Indian government. It is important that we work
out something that both sides believe would be practical and
effective," he said.

Meeting foreign journalists along with him, the Deputy
National Security Advisor, Michael B G Froman, said the Obama
Administration is discussing with Indian counterparts how to
make the "most out of the" Indo-US CEOs forum.

Last week it was the Deputy Secretary of State, James
Steinberg, who made public for the first time the broader
outline of the Obama Administration's policy towards India.

"As India approaches national elections in the coming
months, we look forward to developing a comprehensive agenda
-- doing more bilaterally, regionally, and globally, across
the full spectrum of economic, political and security
challenges," he had said addressing a meeting at the Brookings
Institution.

The new administration not only wants to build on the
bilateral relationship, but also wants India to play a key
role in resolving regional and addressing global issues
together, he said.

"As India emerges as one of the worlds' leading economic
and political powers, the central question are how the United
States and India can work together to address the regional and
global challenges that no one country alone can solve,"
Steinberg said.

The real test of Indo-US relationship, he had said: "Will
be how we work together on the great common challenges of our
era -– strengthening the global trade and investment system,
addressing transnational threats like nuclear weapons
proliferation, terrorism and pandemic disease, and meeting
the urgent danger posed by climate change." PTI LKJ
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