Top US diplomats discuss key deliverables of Obama's visit

Top US diplomats met external affairs minister SM Krishna on Thursday and discussed key deliverables of US President Barack Obama's visit to India and bilateral and regional issues to advance Indo-US ties.

William Burns, undersecretary of state for political affairs, and Robert Blake, assistant secretary of state for South Asia, met Krishna and "discussions centred on President Obama's upcoming visit, as well as regional and multilateral issues that advance the US-India bilateral relationship", a statement by the US embassy said here.

According to sources, Krishna conveyed India's concerns over recent US government moves to curb outsourcing and talked about easing of restrictions that bar US hi-tech exports to India.

Travelling here to give final shape to the agenda of Obama's India sojourn in the first week of November, Burns and Blake will zero in on the actual deliverables for the high-profile trip during their meetings with senior officials, including national security adviser Shivshankar Menon and foreign secretary Nirupama Rao.

The Burns-Blake visit, officials said, is likely to be the last major top-level visit of US officials to India before the Obama visit.

The visit comes as a quick follow-up to the series of ministerial visits from India to the US in the last one month, including finance minister Pranab Mukherjee, defence minister AK Antony, and external affairs minister Krishna — all of whom met US secretary of state Hillary Clinton.

Burns will also travel to Kolkata to meet West Bengal governor and former national security adviser MK Narayanan, who had played a key role in complex negotiations that led to the signing of the landmark India-US civil nuclear deal.

Burns and Blake will leave today for the US.

While the dates of the trip have not been formally announced yet, Obama is expected to be in India from November 6 to 9, thus making it his longest overseas stay in a country as president of the United States.

This will be his first ever visit to India. He will be accompanied by first lady Michelle Obama.

In Mumbai, Obama will stay at the Taj Mahal Hotel Palace and Tower, one of the sites of the 26/11 terror attacks, and visit other key sites linked to it like the Oberoi Trident.

Obama will also address a business meeting in Mumbai before heading for Delhi on the evening of November 7.

His Delhi visit will start with a grand ceremonial reception followed by official talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and an address to a joint session of Parliament.

Obama is expected to fly out of India to Indonesia on the morning of November 9.