India, US must work to end terrorism: PM

      New Delhi: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today said that both India and the United States had the potential to take their existing strategic partnership forward in many ways, and one of them was for both countries to work together in all possible forums to fight terrorism wherever it exists, "because terrorism anywhere threatens democracy everywhere."

    Keeping Thursday's car bomb attack in Karachi in focus, Dr. Singh, who was delivering a speech and a toast at a luncheon hosted in honour of visiting U.S.President George Bush, said: "We seek a world free of poverty, ignorance, disease and the threat of terrorism." "India seeks a neighbourhood of peace and prosperity. Our subcontinent has been home to all the great religions of the world. It is a powerhouse of human creativity, where knowledge is worshipped as the gift of our creators. With wisdom and farsightedness, we South Asians can transform not just this region, but the whole world. In our journey of modernization and development, social change and empowerment, we see the United States as a partner, a friend and a well-wisher," Dr. Singh added.

   Expressing positive sentiments about President Bush's "warm praise for India and the Indian people and his deep personal commitment to a closer economic and strategic partnership between our two countries," Dr. Singh said India was today engaged in a Himalayan adventure of pursuing development, improving the quality of life and modernizing one of the world's oldest civilizations, and was now looking at the United States to partner it in this journey of progress. "In India, we admire the creativity and enterprise of the American people, your excellent institutions, the openness of your economy and your ready embrace of diversity. These have attracted the brightest Indian minds, thereby creating a bridge of understanding that transcends distance and differences between us. Tomorrow, you will meet young Indians who fuel the engines of our knowledge economy. Your own country has made it possible for the talent and abilities of our people to become more visible to all," the Prime Minister said. He also appreciated Bush's firm stand against protectionist forces in the United States, adding that this farsighted approach had resulted in a cementing of closer relations between our two countries. He also extended an invitation to First Lady, Laura Bush to return to India to spend time with "our students and teachers and discover a new India in the making."

India, US share warm moments at President's banquet

      New Delhi: Leaders of India and the United States shared some warm moments after brokering a landmark civilian nuclear deal on Thursday. The pact was the centrepiece of President George W. Bush's first visit to India and marks a major breakthrough for New Delhi, long treated as a nuclear pariah by the world, as it allows it to access American atomic technology and fuel to meet its soaring energy needs -- provided the U.S. Congress gives its approval.

     Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam listed out the areas identified for cooperation between the two nations as he hosted a banquet (Thursday) in Bush's honour. "I am very happy to note that both our countries have identified their efforts to cooperate in a wide variety of fields like security, space, nuclear energy, healthcare, medical research and also global safety and security. The success of our cooperative effort will be driven by the amount of innovation that we can bring in the merging knowledge of economy," Kalam said as President Bush and his wife Laura nodded in appreciation. "The Indian developmental model is anchored in the belief that human progress and human freedom are inseparable. The people of India belief that the U.S. shares their vision of a better future and will partner them in the endeavour to become a developed India," Kalam added. "Today our two democracies have formed a strategic partnership to bring the benefits to others, to expand global prosperity to free and fair trade and to confront the challenges of our times. As great nations, we now have the opportunity to lead and America values the great leadership of India," Bush told the guests, including Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The President's banquet , which began at 8 p.m. had about 100 guests, including Cabinet ministers and the Armed Forces chiefs.

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