He may have a plateful of domestic woes including staving off the resignation of his Home Minister over the Dantewada massacre, but for Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh foreign policy has always been a happy hunting ground. When he boarded Air India 1 early this morning to head to Washington DC on the first leg of an action packed foreign tour filled with important bilateral and multilateral meetings, the spring in his step showed that he hopes to achieve much on this trip.

On Sunday afternoon he is scheduled to have a 45-minute one-on-one meeting with US President Barack Obama. He is among the few leaders singled out for this privilege as heads of 44 states gather to discuss how to prevent nuclear weapons from falling into terrorists hands at the Nuclear Security Summit convened by Obama. There is little doubt that in foreign policy, India walks and talks with a new confidence and assurance. More importantly, it is listened to and a seat at the high table is now reserved for India. Manmohan can take much of the credit for that standing in recent years.

In Manmohan’s bilateral with Obama, the agenda would be, as one official said, “how to take the relationship considerably forward” and review the progress made since the two leaders met in November 2009. With the successful conclusion of the agreement to reprocess spent fuels supplied by US entities last month, another major milestone has been crossed in the path-breaking Indo-US civil nuclear deal. In doing so, President Obama demonstrated that he was as committed as his predecessor George Bush in rapidly improving relations with India.

Now it is the good doctor’s turn to deliver by ensuring that the nuclear liability bill is pushed through in the Indian Parliament when it reconvenes next week. The bill has so far met with stiff opposition from the BJP and the Left on the amount of liability that operators of nuclear plants would have to pay in the event of a nuclear mishap. Manmohan is likely to brief Obama on the issue and his efforts. The prime minister is also likely to take up the issue of improving hi-tech trade that has been stymied because of sanctions against various Indian research entities in the past.

What is likely to dominate the Obama-Manmohan summit though is a discussion on the fast-changing situation in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Obama is likely to elaborate on the progress of his so-called Af-Pak policy and recent moves to bring about political stability in the trouble-torn Afghanistan even if it meant supping with ‘moderate’ Taliban. Manmohan will tell Obama about India’s concerns especially with the deteriorating law and order situation and the continuing attacks on Indian personnel.

On Pakistan, Manmohan would continue to voice his concerns about the slow progress on Islamabad’s part to bring the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks to book and also to dismantle the terrorist apparatus that flourishes with the connivance of the establishment in Pakistan. He may bring up the issue of David Headley and India’s request for either extradition or his interrogation by Indian justice officials. The two leaders are likely to discuss Iran and the nuclear standoff apart from the problems in Central Asia especially the Kyrgyz crisis. They will also discuss the global financial situation, the Asian economy and steps to speed up the world economic revival.

At the Nuclear Security Summit beginning on Monday, the prime minister is expected to outline India’s initiative on the issue of preventing nuclear terrorism and reiterate the country’s commitment to join any global mechanism to ensure nuclear material do not fall into wrong hands. He also has scheduled bilaterals with President Nicholas Sarkozy of France, Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada and President Nursultan Nazarbyev of Kazakhstan.

Manmohan then heads to Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, where he would be attending two major summits: India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) and Brazil-Russia-India-China (BRIC). On the sidelines of the summit he would have a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and Brazilian President Lula da Silva. By the time he returns to India on April 17, the prime minister would have done a tour-de-force of world affairs that is expected to considerably enhance India’s stature as a global player.

Washington, April 10
The manner in which India and Pakistan have pursued atomic weapons has “upset the balance of nuclear deterrence”, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today said, asserting the US was working hard with both countries to try to limit their number of nuclear stockpiles.

“There are three pillars to the Non-Proliferation Treaty. One is disarmament, one is non-proliferation and one is the peaceful use of nuclear weapons, the peaceful use of nuclear energy for civil nuclear purposes,” Clinton said in her speech on nuclear non-proliferation at the University of Louisville.

“So the United States will continue to demonstrate its willingness, in concert with Russia, because we have so many more weapons than any of the other countries -- you know, by a very, very big margin,” she said in her speech on 'No greater danger: Protecting our nation and allies from nuclear terrorism and nuclear proliferation' in Kentucky.

“Other countries that have pursued nuclear weapons -- like India and Pakistan, for example -- have done so in a way that has upset the balance of nuclear deterrence,” Clinton said. “And that's why we're working with both countries very hard to try to make sure that their nuclear stockpiles are, you know, well tended to, and that they participate with us in trying to limit the number of nuclear weapons. And both of them will be in Washington next week,” she said.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh would represent India at the Nuclear Security Summit next week convened by US President Barack Obama, which is being attended by more than 40 world leaders, including Pakistani Premier Yousuf Raza Gilani. — PTI