'You've caught the imagination of Indians'

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told US president Barack Obama that he had caught the imagination of the people of India who are ``anxiously waiting’’ for his trip to India. Mr Singh, who is usually not in an expressive mood, told Mr Obama that people were looking forward to his visit.

``You have caught the imagination of millions across the world, including the people of India who are anxiously waiting for your visit,’’ Mr Singh told Mr Obama in a bilateral meeting in Washington on the eve of the Nuclear Security Summit.

The US president is expected to visit India later this year. Mr Singh also told Mr Obama that countries like India would be adversely affected by protectionist forces. ``Countries like India needed an international environment that does not allow protectionist forces to gain ascendancy.’’

There have been concerns about growing protectionist tendencies in the west following the economic crisis. Even the Obama administration is perceived as leaning towards protectionism. Recently, US treasury secretary Tim Geithner had to assure the business community here that the Obama administration was not going down the path of protectionism. The US has been looking at reducing tax benefits of companies that outsource their operations abroad.

However, Mr Singh and Mr Obama discussed a whole range of economic issues in their 50-minute meeting. The two leaders discussed the global economic crisis, reviewed the G-20 meetings and looked at cooperation in the food and energy security areas.

Foreign secretary Nirupama Rao, who briefing the media on the bilateral meeting, said that the prime minister in his meeting with Mr Obama also referred to the role of the US in strengthening growth impulses in the world economy in the post-Second World War. Mr Singh pointed out that experience could be repeated.

Mr Singh also stressed on the need to rewrite the architecture of the global economic system and noted that the US is ``uniquely placed to work out a plan for sustainable recovery in a globally integrated financial system.’’ In this regard, Mr Singh said that there was a synergy of interests between India and the United States.

In response, Mr Obama is understood to have asked for Mr Singh’s suggestion for the next G-20 meeting which is taking place in Canada. Mr Obama also mentioned the common interest in seeing an early conclusion of the Doha Round. The US president further said that the two areas of cooperation between India and the US were in food security and energy security.