South Asia News

US to boost strategic ties with 'world power' India (3rd Lead)

Nov 8, 2010, 12:12 GMT

US President Barack Obama shakes hands with Indian President Pratibha Patil as Indian Prime Minister Manmonhan Singh with wife Gurusharan Kaur (L) with US President\'s wife Michelle Obama during a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential palace in New Delhi, India on 08 November 2010. EPA/STR

New Delhi - The US and India Monday decided to strengthen their strategic partnership and pledged to combat global terrorism.

President Barack Obama and Premier Manmohan Singh held talks on bilateral trade, regional security and UN reforms, in a US effort to boost ties with the South Asian country.

'Given India's growing role on the world stage, we'll expand our dialogue on global issues,' Obama said in New Delhi.

He called it one of the defining partnerships of the century, and referred to India as a 'world power.'

'We have decided to accelerate the deepening of our ties and to work as equal partners in a strategic relationship that will positively and decisively influence world peace, stability and progress,' Singh said.

The Indian premier said the two countries had agreed to broaden the strategic dialogue and cover other regions as well as initiate joint projects in Africa and Afghanistan.

The US Department of Homeland Security and India's Ministry of Home Affairs would collaborate to improve security at seaports, airports and borders, officials said.

The US also agreed to lift restrictions on high-technology exports to India and support New Delhi's membership in non-proliferation organizations like the Nuclear Suppliers' Group.

Initiatives on clean energy, health and agriculture were also announced. Both sides would expand cooperation on aerospace, civil nuclear and defence matters, Singh said.

Besides India's troubled relations with nuclear rival Pakistan, China also featured prominently in the talks.

Obama said the two countries had agreed to deepen consultations on East Asia, which foreign policy analysts called a reference to China.

India and the US also agreed to expand bilateral trade, estimated at 37.6 billion dollars in 2009.

Meanwhile, leftist rebels killed seven people across three eastern states to enforce a day-long shutdown to protest Obama's visit, the PTI news agency reported.

The guerrillas called a strike to protest 'US imperialism,' and blew up a school and railway tracks.

The US president is on a 10-day Asian tour which he said would focus on creating jobs and expanding US exports.

Arriving in India's financial capital of Mumbai Saturday, Obama announced trade deals worth 10 billion dollars that he said would support more than 50,000 jobs in the US.

On Monday, he laid a wreath at a memorial to India's independence hero, Mahatma Gandhi.

Obama also met with government and opposition leaders, and was slated address the parliament Monday evening to explain Washington's stand on India's aspirations for a permanent seat on an expanded UN Security Council.

The US president is scheduled to fly to Indonesia Tuesday on the next leg of his Asian tour, which will also take him to South Korea and Japan.

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