Condoleezza Rice arrives in India tomorrow

Washington: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will travel to India from Friday for talks including on the India-US civilian nuclear agreement, but it was not clear whether she will sign the landmark accord. Rice "will travel to India and Kazakhstan on Oct 3rd through the 5th," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Thursday. But he could not say whether she would also sign the implementing 123 Agreement while in New Delhi. Rice will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani and other Indian leaders on issues including the nuclear agreement passed by the US Senate late Wednesday, the spokesman said. The approval bill removing the final legislative hurdle for resumption of civilian nuclear trade between the two countries... [read full story]