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Clinton welcomed at Rashtrapati Bhavan

US President Bill Clinton's visit to India officially began at 0930 this morning when he was warmly greeted by President K R Narayanan and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Clinton and his daughter Chelsea arrived in a limousine, surrounded by 60 riders of the President's bodyguard. He was given a 21 gun salute and a guard of honour by the three services.

Only a few ministers were present at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Among them: Home Minister L K Advani, Defence Minister George Fernandes, External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh, Industry Minister Murasoli Maran and Minister of State Omar Abdullah. Rashtrapati Bhavan sources later told rediff.com that only a few ministers usually attend such ceremonies to avoid a rush.

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sonia Gandhi and her Rajya Sabha counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh were also present.

Only Admiral Sushil Kumar, the chief of the naval staff, was present at the ceremony. General Ved Prakash Malik and Air Chief Marshal A Y Tipnis, the chiefs of the army and air force, were absent. However, the defence ministry later clarified to rediff.com that only one chief of staff is usually present at such a ceremony.

Clinton was introduced to the Cabinet ministers and Opposition leaders by President Narayanan, while the American president, in turn, introduced his officials -- Secretary of State Madeleine Albright whom Jaswant Singh had kissed on her cheeks on her arrival among others -- to the Rashtrapati.

Clinton, who wore a dark suit, a pink shirt and a yellow tie, left for Rajghat after the 15-minute ceremony.

After paying homage to the Mahatma, he drove to Hyderabad House where he will have two hours of official talks with Vajpayee on international issues like disarmament and nuclear non-proliferation besides giving a fresh impetus to bilateral relations.

Soon after the talks, both leaders will sign a 'vision statement' enunciating the principles on which the new Indo-US relationship will be anchored. The two sides will also sign an agreement at the ministerial level setting up a high-level Indo-US technology forum on research and development, transfer of technology, and comprehensive reference source and electronic exchange of information. The forum will have seven experts from each country.

Rediff Delhi Bureau, UNI

CLINTON VISITS INDIA : The complete coverage

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