George W. Bush is due in India on Friday, a country once said to love the famously unpopular former US president, where he will deliver a speech on multilateralism, an official told AFP. Bush, whose foreign policy during his eight-year tenure was marked by a firm belief in US unilateral power, will address a leadership summit on Saturday on America "re-engaging" with the world.
"The theme of his speech on Saturday is 'America re-engaging with the World: Challenges, Opportunities and Risks,'" said the official who has knowledge of his plans but did not want to be named. The two-day Hindustan Times event starts Friday and will also be addressed by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah and others.
Singh, who told Bush that "the people of India deeply love you" during a visit last September, will meet the former president over a private meal at his residence, a second official told AFP on the condition of anonymity. Bush left the White House in January with rock-bottom approval ratings and has made few public appearances since, avoiding publicly criticising his successor Barack Obama, who has made a priority of international diplomacy.