With focus on Eurozone crisis at G-20 Summit, no Obama-PM bilateral talks

WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama is not scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh later this week on the sidelines of the crucial G-20 Summit in Cannes in France, where he would mainly focus on the Eurozone crisis.

"In Cannes, we expect the Eurozone to be the primary focus of discussion, but in addition the leaders will focus on mechanisms that have been put in place to ensure strong, balanced and sustainable growth," Michael B Froman, US Deputy National Security Adviser for International Economic Affairs, said at a White House news conference last evening.

Obama leaves for Cannes on Wednesday night to attend the G-20 Summit, which would be attended by the leaders of the top 20 global economies, including Prime Minister Singh.

As of now, no bilateral meeting is scheduled between Obama and Singh.

They also did not meet in New York in September on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

No official reason was given for the two leaders skipping the opportunity for a one-on-one meeting for the second time in succession.

Ben Rhodes, US Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications, told reporters that Obama would be holding bilateral meetings with host French President Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angele Merkel and Argentinian President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

Besides attending meetings of the G-20 on Thursday and Friday, Obama would meet international labour leaders, Rhodes said.