India’s prime minister embarked Monday on a 10-day visit to the United States and France which is expected to mark the country’s return to global nuclear commerce after 30 years in the cold.
Manmohan Singh, who will also attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York and an India-EU gathering in Marseilles, expects to finalise at least one landmark atomic deal before returning on October 2.
In New York, he will meet world leaders including Pakistan’s newly elected President Asif Ali Zardari and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, said foreign secretary Shiv Shankar Menon.
Singh will then make a brief visit to Washington on September 25, when officials hope to sign a bilateral accord allowing India to buy nuclear power plants, technology and fuel.