Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is in the United States on a
four-day state visit aimed at addressing the war in Afghanistan,
extremism in Pakistan and encouraging civilian nuclear cooperation
between the U.S. and India.
Mr. Singh spoke to American business leaders Monday at the U.S. Chamber
of Commerce. He said India and the United States are finalizing the
details that will make their civilian nuclear cooperation agreement
"fully operational."
U.S. President Barack Obama will welcome Prime Minister Singh to the
White House Tuesday. This is the first state visit of Mr. Obama's
presidency.
The two leaders are expected to discuss concerns voiced in New Dehli
that the war in Afghanistan could further destabilize India's neighbor,
Pakistan.
Mr. Singh says he will call on the Obama administration to pressure Pakistan to do more to control Islamic extremists.
India's prime minister says he also hopes to persuade U.S. leaders to
allow the transfer of more non-military nuclear technology, and
cooperate more on finding solutions for clean energy.
The U.S.-India civilian nuclear agreement, approved by the U.S.
Congress in October 2008 and signed into law by then President George
W. Bush, ended a 30-year ban on sales of nuclear fuel and technology to
India. In exchange, India agreed to open up its civilian nuclear
facilities to international inspection.
Ahead of his arrival in Washington, Mr. Singh told The Washington Post
newspaper that he is concerned about the rise of terrorism in Pakistan.
He said India has been the victim of Pakistan-aided terrorism for 25
years, and he wants the United States to influence Pakistan from that
path.
Indian authorities say the Pakistan-based militant group,
Lashkar-e-Taiba, was responsible for last year's attacks in Mumbai, in
which 10 men killed 166 people in several locations. November 26 is the
anniversary of the attacks.
In a separate interview with CNN, the prime minister said it is not
clear if Pakistan's objectives in Afghanistan match those of the United
States. He also expressed concern about Pakistan's nuclear arsenal
falling into the wrong hands.
After visiting Washington, Mr. Singh will travel to Trinidad and Tobago
in the Caribbean, where he will meet with government leaders in the
capital, Port of Spain.