Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who left on a two-nation tour this morning at 11.30, said while in New York he will continue to present India's case for expansion of the United Nations Security Council as well as of other aspects of UN reforms.

In a statement, Dr Singh said in this meetings with French President Jacques Chirac he hopes to further expand co-operation in trade and investment, defence, space, civilian nuclear energy, advanced science and technology.

In New York, he will participate in a high-level meeting to review the implementation of the Millenium Development Goals, adopted a decade ago.

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Prime Minister Singh will also hold a number of bilateral meetings with world leaders including US President George W Bush, Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pakistan President Pervez Mushahrraf.

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The prime minister's media advisor Dr Sanjaya Baru, however, said at this point there was no information if they will be one on one with President Bush.