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Talbott will meet PM, Advani in Delhi

US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott begins his three-day visit to New Delhi on Sunday for the crucial third round of talks with the prime minister's special emissary Jaswant Singh in the aftermath of India's nuclear tests.

According to the programme prepared for Talbott, he will meet Singh on Monday morning.

Various international issues, including non-proliferation and disarmament, and matters of mutual concern, are expected to come up during the discussion. This will be the third meeting between Singh and Talbott. The two had met in Washington last month, followed by another meeting earlier this month in Frankfurt.

Minister of State for External Affairs Vasundhara Raje will host a lunch in Talbott's honour on Monday afternoon. In the evening, he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Home Minister L K Advani. In the evening, Singh will host a dinner for Talbott.

On Tuesday, the US official will leave New Delhi for Islamabad to have discussions with Pakistani leaders.

Talbott's visit to New Delhi comes on the heels of the US senate deciding to give President Bill Clinton the authority to lift for up to a year, the non-military sanctions imposed against India and Pakistan in the wake of their nuclear tests. Significantly, US ambassador to India Richard Celeste had a meeting with Advani on Friday.

The two sides have maintained a veil of secrecy over the first two rounds of meetings between Singh and Talbott.

UNI

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