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Guard of Honour for Manmohan in U.S.

Special Corerspondent

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be accorded a Guard of Honour on the South Lawn in the White House when he reaches Washington for the first state visit by any head of state or government under the Obama presidency. This, officials here say, is “reflective of the commitment that the U.S. attaches to its relationship with India.”

Dr. Singh will begin his engagements on Monday after arriving at the Andrew’s Air Force Base a day earlier. He will address captains of industry at an event jointly organised by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the U.S.-India Business Council. This will be followed by a lecture, jointly organised by the Council of Foreign Relations, a conservative think tank, and the Woodrow Wilson Centre. Several top CEOs from the country are flying to Washington to be present for the event.

The Prime Minister will also meet U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi. On Tuesday, he will visit the White House where he will be given a ceremonial welcome at the South Lawn, including the Guard of Honour.

Delegation-level talks between Dr. Singh and Mr. Obama will be followed by a joint media interaction. This will be followed by an interaction with CEOs after which Dr. Singh will leave for lunch, hosted by U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, at the State Department.

In the evening, Mr. Obama will host Dr. Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur at an official banquet, which will also include an entertainment programme. Senior U.S. administration officials, including Secretaries of Defence, Treasury and Environment will call on the Prime Minister the next day.

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