PM-Obama meet to pack a punch

AGENDA OF HOPE: Observers say the meet will pack in a lot of items that will cover a host of issues.

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is en route to the US on a four-day official visit. His talks with US President Barack Obama will be wide-ranging and will touch the bilateral issues.

As he lands in Washington DC, the Prime Minister is hoping for a whole new take-off in relations between India and the US.

He said, "A sustained and dynamic India-US partnership is essential if we are to meet global challenges. I also look forward to exchanging views with President Obama on the major global threats and challenges of our times, such as international terrorism, climate change and the global economic slowdown. I also expect to discuss the situation in Afghanistan."

During a mammoth five-day visit to the American capital he will be addressing business leaders, foreign policy experts apart from the welcome at the White House and finally the talks with President Obama.

On the agenda of the PM are many issues the two sides have broad agreement on, such as:

• Trade; with bilateral trade at the top of the list

• Defence purchases

• Co-operation on counter terrorism

• Clean technology

• Agriculture

• Education

But many contentious issues are likely to remain unresolved including:

• US hopes of Indian participation in Afghan peacekeeping operations

• Emission norms and climate change commitments

• The reprocessing agreement in the Nuclear deal that has not been completed for the last few months.

Many say the summit still lacks a big ticket item, with comparisons to Manmohan Singh's historic 2005 visit when the Nuclear deal was announced.

Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said, "You need to envision that India and the US have a mature relationship and do not need one issue, but a host of issues."

There are others who say the are two leaders still less than a year into their current terms in office and they have time to make big moves.

Diplomats are already pointing to the personal rapport Singh and Obama share. Both have been educated at the world's elitist institutions, but come from non-elite backgrounds.

Both are the first leaders in their countries that belong to minority communities, and both have daughters, which one diplomat called a powerful bond.

That may be a bond the two will try and use to push the burgeoning bilateral ties the two countries share when they meet on Tuesday.