USA/FILE: White House prepares for first State visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh

Record ID: 1381545

  • Title: USA/FILE: White House prepares for first State visit by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
  • Date: 21st November 2009
  • Summary: WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES (NOVEMBER 18, 2009) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) LISA CURTIS OF THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION, SAYING: "I think the civil nuclear deal was sort of a once in a generation agreement and I doubt the Obama Administration will have a similar kind of initiative, that was groundbreaking, but I do think it is important that President Obama signal that
  • Embargoed: 5th December 2009 23:19
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA3TLGVZ3NH30YMDJ33RZQZS1EM
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: The Obama White House prepares for its first full state visit when US President Barack Obama will host India's Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
    Manmohan Singh's three-day state visit starting on Nov. 23 is seen by New Delhi as a touchstone of Obama's intention of sustaining a relationship that deepened under his predecessor George W. Bush.
    President Bill Clinton started U.S. efforts to build ties with modern India when the Cold War ended nearly two decades ago and India began to liberalise its economy in the 1990s. US/India ties were deepened under Bush whose Administration signed a landmark civilian nuclear agreement with India.
    But it will be hard for Obama to come up with something comparable, says Lisa Curtis of the conservative Heritage Foundation. "I think the civil nuclear deal was sort of a once in a generation agreement and I doubt the Obama Administration will have a similar kind of initiative, that was groundbreaking, but I do think it is important that President Obama signal that he intends to move that agreement forward."
    Singh and Obama will hold talks on issues ranging from curbing carbon emissions - where the two sides are poles apart - to multi-billion dollar defence contracts and speeding up the completion of a landmark civilian nuclear deal signed last year.
    The success of the trip may be measured by whether the two leaders manage to dispel any doubts of Washington's commitment to New Delhi in a region where it rivals China and Pakistan -- both seen as U.S. foreign policy priorities.
    "President Obama need to put his stamp on this relationship and he needs to signal to the Indian that despite the fact that he has been paying attention to other problems recently, India is still important the US," said Nicholas Burns of Harvard University served as Under secretary of State under President George W. Bush.
    U.S. strategy for Afghanistan, focused partly on Pakistan has been criticized as ignoring the concerns India, which competes with Islamabad for influence in Kabul.
    "The US does not want to choose between Pakistan and Indian, but sometimes the Indianan and the Pakistani want us to chose," Burns said.
    Analysts say this first State visit is something of a test for Obama, who will hope to build on the work of his predecessors, while also tackling some of the thorny issues of the relationship including trade as well as climate change.
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