Obama emphasizes U.S. ties with India

Looking for firmer footing for U.S.-India relations, President Obama tried yesterday to calm India's fears about Asian rival China, salving bruised feelings with an elaborate state visit and assurances of India's "rightful place as a global leader."

"The relationship between the United States and India will be one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century," Obama declared -- twice -- during a news conference with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The two appeared before reporters in the East Room after an elaborate morning welcome ceremony that was moved indoors by rain and about two hours of private talks in the Oval Office. The daylong White House extravaganza in India's honor was to be capped with the day's most buzzworthy event: the first state dinner of Obama's presidency.

Obama's statement appeared crafted to assuage fears in India, the world's largest democracy, that his administration is less committed than his predecessor's to a strong relationship with New Delhi. In 2005, President George W. Bush signed a landmark deal committing the United States to cooperating with India in the development of its nuclear-power industry, even though India had detonated a nuclear device in 1998 and declined to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Yesterday, Obama said that the United States will "fully implement" the 2005 nuclear accord and that the two countries will cooperate on a "clean-energy initiative." The nuclear deal has been held up partly because it is still unclear how India will handle uranium provided to it by U.S. nuclear firms.

Indian officials and analysts had expressed concern that during his trip to East Asia last week, Obama failed to mention India in a speech about U.S. policy in the region and appeared to endorse a peacemaking role of sorts for China in India's relations with Pakistan. India views China as a competitor, and Beijing is indeed a strong backer of Pakistan. The Washington Post recently reported that China not only gave Pakistan a blueprint for a nuclear device in the 1970s, it also provided Pakistan with key raw materials to build one.

In statements over the past two days, Singh has joined Obama in stressing the values that India and the United States share and the importance of democracy in helping the two countries grow closer.

In that, said C. Raja Mohan, a columnist in Washington for the Indian Express newspaper, Singh is unique among Indian leaders.

"In the past, it was all about post-colonial issues," Mohan said, "But Singh has really taken us beyond that. It's not just that we are poor, Third World, and the West is sitting on us. Singh is signaling that we have a comfort level with the United States that no one else has, and the U.S. should see that."

Administration officials have said that it is no accident that India is the first nation to warrant a state visit. Press Secretary Robert Gibbs on Monday called it "a show of respect for the value that we put on that relationship."

The two countries routinely share intelligence, particularly since the terrorist attacks in Mumbai a year ago. Trade relations, while not of Chinese proportions, are strong; Indian companies have invested more than $10 billion in the U.S. economy; and Indian-Americans represent the most successful group of recent immigrants, playing top roles in Silicon Valley, science and politics. More students from India study in the United States than students from any other country.

But the two countries start from different places when it comes to climate change, which Obama said was one focus of his talks with the prime minister.

The president said that he and Singh made "important progress" toward a greener planet by reaffirming the need for a comprehensive agreement in Copenhagen next month. Singh said he talked with Obama about what he called India's "ambitious national action plan" and said that his country is eager to partner with the United States on clean energy projects.

Obama also accepted an invitation to visit India next year.

Yesterday's black-tie state dinner for more than 300, featuring a mostly vegetarian meal of curry prawns, aged basmati rice, eggplant salad, lentil soup, potato dumplings and other delicacies served under a giant tent on the South Lawn, was Washington's premier must-have invite. Menu, decor and other details -- each designed to celebrate Indian culture and delight Indian guests -- were tightly held until just hours before the guests arrived.

The Obamas sought to add their own flair to the night, as they have with all their entertaining since they took over the White House in January. Marcus Samuelsson of the award-winning New York City restaurant Aquavit was brought in to help prepare the food alongside White House chefs, and two Oscar-winners topped the entertainment lineup, American Jennifer Hudson of Dreamgirls and Indian A.R. Rahman of Slumdog Millionaire.