Natwar, Bush meet; ties get boost

External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh met United States President George W Bush in the White House Oval Office on Thursday.

The meeting, which was expected to last not more than 10 minutes, went on for over half-an-hour.

Bush said he was committed to using his next four years in office "to take US-India relations to a higher level" and cement the strategic partnership between the two nations.

He also told Singh that he is "excited and looking forward" to his trip to India sometime later this year or early 2006. He added that "a very warm welcome" awaited Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when he visits Washington later this year.

Singh said India was appreciative about his being "so focused" on Indo-US relations from the first day in office.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, and White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card were present at the meeting.

Singh was accompanied by Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran, Ambassador Ronen Sen and Vice-Chairman of the Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia.