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Manmohan to meet Bush on Sep 21

August 30, 2004 17:16 IST

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will have a breakfast meeting with US President George W Bush on September 21 in New York and is likely to meet Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf the next day on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session.

A hectic schedule awaits Singh who leaves on the eight-day trip on September 19 with a stopover at London where he will meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Singh will deliver his maiden address to the UN General Assembly session on September 23. He is slated to return home on September 26.

The Prime Minister is expected to make out a strong case for reforms of the UN Security Council and India's bid for a permanent seat in the world body.

Three of the five P-5 countries -- Russia, France and Britain - - have extended support for India's candidature.

While the US has remained non-committal on the issue, China, the other member, has said it favoured a larger role for India in the UN but has refrained from expressing support on the issue of a permanent seat.

The official US line is that it supports the secretary general's efforts to explore how the UN can better meet the challenges of today and that it looked forward to the report a high-level panel is to issue on UN revitalisation.

Significantly, Germany and Japan, both contenders for a permanent seat in the Security Council, have agreed with India to support each other in this endeavour. Brazil too has backed India's candidature.

The issue is likely to figure during talks Singh will have with Bush, the first meeting of the two leaders after the United Progressive Alliance government assumed office three months back.

The Iraq situation, the Middle East crisis as also Indo-Pak relations are expected to figure prominently during the Singh-Bush meeting.

It will be Singh's first meeting with Musharraf too.

New Delhi expects decision on about ten of the over 70 proposals exchanged between the two countries recently.



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