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Crucial Jaswant-Talbott talks tomorrow

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's special envoy Jaswant Singh, who arrived in Washington last night, is expected to meet Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott tomorrow for an important round of talks on the nuclear issue which has affected the otherwise improving relations between India and the United States.

Singh has to wait because American officials are busy today with the meeting between US President Bill Clinton and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief, scheduled to take place later in the day in New York. Both are in New York in connection with the United Nations General Assembly session that opened today.

Singh is expected to make use of his time seeing some Congressmen and others interested in Indo-US ties.

Talbott and Singh will meet for the fifth time since India's nuclear tests in May. At the meeting, the two countries will make another attempt to narrow their differences on the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, according to officials.

Senior Indian officials have given indications of a willingness to sign the CTBT, but some related issues are still to be settled.

Singh, after his meeting tomorrow, will proceed to New York to see Vajpayee who is arriving on Wednesday morning to attend the General Assembly session.

Vajpayee will meet Nawaz Sharief on Wednesday over lunch. Both are staying in the same hotel in New York.

UNI

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