India a global power: President Bush Press Trust Of India Posted online: Thursday, April 14, 2005 at 2206 hours IST
Washington, April 14: Signaling a new warmth in bilateral ties, President George W. Bush today said US held India as a "global power" and wanted to work together for mutual economic benefit and cooperate in the civilian nuclear and other energy sectors. During the 30-minute meeting with External Affairs Minister K. Natwar Singh at the Oval Office, Bush said US regarded India as a global power with which the US wants to work very closely for the common good, for world peace and for mutual economic benefit. Bush told Singh that India and the US need to work together in the energy sector that would include cooperation in civilian nuclear energy. Terming Indo-US relations as the "best we have had for a very long time", Singh said India was interested in having a "much closer relationship" during Bush's second term in office. Briefing reporters after the meeting, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said Bush told Singh that he was looking forward to his trip to India, hopefully within this year. The US President said he "very much looks forward" to receiving Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Washington in the near future.
