Rudd to visit India; student attacks, uranuim sale on agenda

MELBOURNE: Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will visit India this week and will discuss hosts of issues inluding frequent attacks on Indian students, uranium sale and forging better bilateral ties.

Rudd on his two day visit will be travelling to Mumbai and New Delhi as of Wednesday in what appears to be as a part of country's damage control exercise after International student attack crisis in Australia. Rudd is scheduled to meet his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh on Thursday.

The AAP report said that Rudd will be attending a cricket match in Mumbai, where he will meet many Indian business leaders.

Sale of uranium from Australia to India and Rudd goverment's stand to not give the same as New Delhi is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is also expected to come up during the parleys, ahead of a review of the NPT next year.

Australia and India may use the visit to announce the start of negotiations towards a free trade agreement after a feasibility study reportedly found a deal to be favourable to both countries.