PM to hold talks with Bush today

Manmohan landed in US for the first major diplomatic foray that includes talks with Bush, Musharraf and address to UN General Assembly.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh landed in the United States on Tuesday for the first major diplomatic foray that includes talks with President George W Bush, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and address to the UN General Assembly.

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Singh will hold a breakfast meeting with Bush during which the two leaders are expected to cover growing Indo-US strategic partnership, shared non-proliferation and security concerns of the two countries in the global war against terrorism, high technology transfer to India and curbing proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Singh and Bush are also expected to exchange views on the situation in Iraq, Afghanistan, West Asia, UN reforms and broad vistas that have opened for economic partnership.

A positive tone for the meeting was set with the US agreeing to ease export restrictions including removal of ISRO from the prohibitive list and moving ahead on the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP).