US President Barack Obama's maiden visit to India in November won't be all about tackling issues such as terrorism and outsourcing.
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| US president Barack Obama will visit India in November |
Sept. 14, 2010: His trip may also include a visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar and a stay at the Taj Mahal hotel in Mumbai.
Sources said a US team has conducted a security survey of the places Obama proposes to visit. His plan to visit the Golden Temple is being viewed as a goodwill gesture towards the Sikhs who form an economically and politically powerful community in the US. In Mumbai, Obama may also visit the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, which was one of the targets of the Mumbai attack besides the Taj Mahal hotel.
On the business side, India hopes Obama would make an announcement pledging the support of the US for India's candidature for a permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council.
By the time Obama visits India, the country will become a non-permanent member of the UNSC. Therefore, a US declaration of support for India could not only bolster its chances of permanent membership of the UNSC but will also accelerate the process of UNSC reforms.
However, the US has still not committed to such an announcement by Obama.
India and the US will hold a series of meetings to finalise the agenda for Obama's visit. Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao will leave for Washington on Thursday. She will meet under-secretary of state for political affairs William Burns and other senior American officials.
External affairs minister S. M. Krishna is also visiting the US on September 20 to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
Commerce minister Anand Sharma and defence minister A. K. Antony are also expected to visit the US next month.
India and America have a slew of differences to iron out ahead of Obama's visit.
The hike in H1-B and L1 visa fee and the ban on outsourcing of IT projects promulgated by Ohio are some of the issues that India wants to be addressed. The US, on its part, has issues with the tightening of the nuclear liability clause.
"Rao's discussions in Washington will focus on firming up key deliverables during the visit that should send a powerful message that the Indo-US global strategic partnership is set to keep its momentum under the new regime in Washington," an official said.
Rao and Burns will continue their discussions when the latter visits India next month.
Courtesy: Mail Today