Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday he will use a White House visit to ease differences on global warming with the United States ahead of an international conference next month. Singh, speaking on the eve of an elaborate welcome planned by President Barack Obama, said that Indian and US officials will sign a memorandum Tuesday intended to improve co-operation on energy security, clean energy and climate change.
He did not provide details. India has watched with wariness as Obama's administration has lavished attention on rivals Pakistan and China. Now, Obama is trying to ease Indian worries by honouring Singh with the first state visit of his presidency. The United States sees India as crucial to the US-led fight against extremists in Pakistan and Afghanistan, as a counterweight to China and as key to efforts to settle world trade and climate change deals.
Tuesday's planned memorandum is an attempt to ease a source of tension between the countries. Developing and industrialised countries have bickered as they prepare to negotiate a new global climate change treaty, at a December summit in Copenhagen, meant to replace the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on carbon dioxide emissions.
Developing countries argue that rich countries produced most of the heat-trapping greenhouse gases on their march to development and should therefore bear the costs of fixing the problem. Wealthy nations say all countries including growing polluters India and China have to agree to broad cuts in emissions. Singh has said that the world's poor nations will not sacrifice their development in negotiations for a new climate change deal.
Despite the positive tone of his comments at the US Chamber of Commerce on Monday, Singh's visit comes at a delicate time. Indians are bristling over a perception that Obama neglected India during his recent trip to Asia and seemed to endorse a stronger role for China in India's sensitive dealings with Pakistan.
The tension has disturbed a wave of goodwill between the countries orchestrated by former President George W. Bush, who oversaw the transformation of the relationship after decades of Cold War-era distrust. The new ties are symbolised by a landmark civilian nuclear co-operation accord signed into law last year after years of close communication among senior Indian and US officials who negotiated and then sold the accord to lawmakers.
``There's a certain amount of Bush nostalgia,' she said. While Bush was seen as having an emotional connection to the country, she said, Obama's connection is seen as cerebral and as being eroded by domestic problems and by the focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Because of the uncertainty, the leaders will be keen to show each other during Singh's visit that the partnership is still in good shape. The United States is especially interested in India's ability to help turn the tide against violent extremism in South Asia. US officials are pushing Pakistan to focus its military attention on extremists along the border with Afghanistan, not on India, its neighbour and bitter rival.
Singh said Monday that leaving Afghanistan before it is stable would embolden extremists in South Asia and around the world. He also urged American companies to invest in India. As rich countries' economic growth slows, he said, India's huge class of skilled workers and massive potential consumer market will fuel strong growth in coming years.