U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in India for the start of a six-nation tour of Asia.
Her New Delhi talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and her counterpart Natwar Singh are expected to focus on India's peace process with Pakistan. Ms. Rice says those nations' strong relations with the United States have helped them ease tensions with each other.
After her talks in New Delhi, Ms. Rice heads to Pakistan and Afghanistan before traveling to Japan, South Korea and China. North Korea's nuclear weapons program is expected to be the focus of her meetings in Tokyo, Seoul and Beijing. Pyongyang last month claimed to possess nuclear weapons.