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Hyderabad rolls out red carpet to Clinton

United States President Bill Clinton and his daughter Chelsea were given a red carpet welcome on their arrival in Hyderabad this morning for a four-hour visit to the historic city.

Clinton, the first US president to visit the 400-year-old city -- famous for its Kohinoor diamond and pearls -- was received at the Hyderabad airport by Andhra Pradesh Governor C Rangarajan, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, and minister of state for railways Bangaru Laxman, besides officials and US ambassador to India, Richard Celeste.

While the state government rolled out a red carpet to Clinton, the left parties staged a protest rally in other parts of the city denouncing the visit.

The security at the airport was very heavy with the American secret service sanitising the entire area almost two hours before Clinton flew in by a C-127 aircraft. The much awaited Boeing 747-B2000 aircraft, which normally ferries the American president on his tour, did not reach Hyderabad airport and is slated to be on time when Clinton departs for Bombay later this afternoon on his last leg of the five-day stay in India.

US secret service sharpshooters were positioned with binoculars on the airport tower grazing the horizon and keeping an eye on the tarmac, which was electronically ''swept''. Sniffer dogs brought from America assisted the American securitymen along with 'Greyhounds', the counter-insurgent elite force of Andhra Pradesh.

After a brief reception at the airport tarmac, Clinton, along with his daughter boarded the 'Black Limousine' -- airlifted to Hyderabad last evening -- and drove in a 45-car motorcade to the Mahavir hospital and research centre. Clinton is scheduled to administer the ''last dose'' to the three patients, treated at the hospital for tuberculosis under a US-funded project.

His last engagement at the historic city will be to address IT professionals and select industrialists from India at 'Hitech City'.

UNI

CLINTON VISITS INDIA:The complete coverage

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