|
Bush, PM to meet in New York |
 |
It has been confirmed in New Delhi that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be meeting President Bush, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf and other world leaders when he goes to New York in the third week of September to address the UN General Assembly during its annual session. He will also address the Indian community, a staple event for Prime Ministers travelling to New York. He will also find time to meet investors on Wall Street, a highly prestigious function where the Prime Minister will showcase the Congress Government’s determination to reform with a “caring” face.
It is unclear how substantive the meeting with President Bush will be, considering he is already in the thick of the Presidential election campaign. On the other hand, with new Indian Ambassador to the US, Ronen Sen, already having met US Secretary of State Colin Powell, it is likely that both sides would push the incipient dialogue on the transfer of high technology and other issues that comprise the “Next Steps for Strategic Partnership”.
Bush party woos Indian-American voters
Meanwhile, the campaign managers of President Bush’s Republican Party are lobbying strongly to woo the 1.6 million strong Indian-American community in the US to vote for him in the coming November elections. In a 1200-word e-mail to the Indian Americans, Marc Racicot, Chairman of the Bush-Cheney’04 campaign, has appealed to them to vote for President Bush. He said, “We are grateful for the support the President’s campaign has obtained from Indian-Americans and we look forward to working together to re-elect President Bush.”
In a further move to win the support of the Sikh community in the US, the White House has for the first time played host to an event to celebrate the 400th anniversary of the holy book of the Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib. About 100 Sikh leaders from across the US participated in the celebrations at which senior administration officials were present. Sikh leaders expressed their happiness at the strong signal sent out by the administration to the community which has been a victim of racial violence following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The people of Indian origin in the US are thought to have Democratic leanings although in recent times, Indian Americans who have become wealthy are believed to have turned Republican. The Republican convention later this month has 10 Indian-American delegates including physicians such as Dr. Zach Zachariah and Dr. Vijayanagar who have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Bush campaign.
|
