Top US diplomats discuss key deliverables of Obama's visit

NEW DELHI: Top US diplomats today met External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and discussed key deliverables of President Barack Obama's visit to India and bilateral and regional issues to advance Indo-US ties.

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns and Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Robert Blake met Krishna and "discussions centered 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 high-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 Advisor 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, sources said.

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 A K Antony and Foreign Minister S M 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 M K 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 tomorrow for the US. While the dates of the trip has 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.

Accompanied by the First Lady, Michelle Obama, this would be his first ever visit to India.

In Mumbai, he will stay at the Taj Mahal Hotel Palace and Tower, the centre 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 November seven evening.

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

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