Sonia, Sushma to call on Obama

Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj will call on US President Barack Obama when he visits New Delhi starting Sunday. Jayanth Jacob reports.

Vice-President Hamid Ansari, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and leader of opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj will call on US President Barack Obama when he visits New Delhi starting Sunday.

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Obama will meet each of them for 20 minutes at the ITC Maurya, where he will stay during his visit to the capital.

However, this time there is a difference in the standard protocol practice as far as the calling on goes for the visiting head of state. External affairs minister SM Krishna is not officially calling on Obama — but will meet the president on two special occasions.

Krishna will be present when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets President Obama at Hyderabad House prior to the delegation level-talks on November 8, sources said.

The minister will also be in attendance at the private dinner the PM is hosting for the Obama's on November 7.

The US president had attended a reception hosted by secretary of state Hilary Clinton for Krishna — a deviation from the protocol practice but it had underscored a special rapport.

The first port of call for Obama after he arrives in Delhi will be to visit the Humayun's tomb. He will then visit the Roosevelt House, the US embassy. The same night he will attend dinner with the PM.