NSA in Washington, to meet top US officials

National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon has arrived in Washington to hold a series of meetings with top officials of the Obama Administration, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon has arrived here to hold a series of meetings with top officials of the Obama Administration, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

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Menon yesterday reached Washington late evening, several hours after his scheduled arrival, due to inclement weather in the region because of which his flights had to be diverted. The NSA is here to review the implementation of initiatives launched during the India visit of US President Barack Obama in November and discuss developments in Indo-US bilateral ties in preparation for the upcoming Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi this spring, State Department spokesman, P J Crowley told reporters at his daily news conference.

As a result of delay in his arrival due to inclement weather, Menon's dinner with Clinton was cancelled.

The meeting has now been scheduled for today. Earlier in the day, Crowley said Clinton is looking forward to her meeting with Menon.

The NSA is today scheduled to meet his US counterpart Tom Donilon at the White House along with other top officials of the Obama Administration.

He is also scheduled to meet Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, William Burns. "Under Secretary Bill Burns will have a detailed discussion with the national security advisor and will also be at the White House for a series of meetings hosted by Tom Donilon, US National Security Advisor," he said.

"Our US-India Strategic Dialogue is premised on our strong support for India's role as an important actor on the international stage," Crowley added.