Second round of Indo-US strategic dialogue on April 6

"This time the meeting would take place in New Delhi on April 6. Secretary Hillary Clinton would travel to India for that meeting," Rao told mediapersons last on Tuesday evening at the end of her three-day US visit.

Rao, who was basically here for foreign office consultations, discussed on a wide range of bilateral and regional issues, besides the developments in Egypt. She had a lengthy meeting with Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs William Burns, besides having called on Clinton at the Foggy Bottom headquarters of the US State Department.

Rao briefed the US officials on the recent Indo-Pak talks in Bhutan and New Delhi's perspective on it. The foreign secretary said she and Burns discussed the steps being taken by the two nations on implementation of the decisions reached during the India visit of US President Barack Obama in

November last year. They also prepared the ground work for the second strategic dialogue between the two countries.

"I had a very useful meeting with the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton," Rao said.

"This visit also afforded the opportunity to take stock of the regional and global situation. The situation in the region has been an object of focus in our discussion, previously also with the United States," she said.

Rao also met a number of top officials from the US departments of defence and commerce; and the National Security Council at the White House. She also met Senators Richard Lugar and Mark Warner and Congressman Howard Berman at the Capitol Hill.

During her meeting with Michele Flournoy, the Under Secretary of Defence for Policy, the issue of fighter jets also came up, Rao said. She said the two sides also discussed the extraordinary developments over the last couple of weeks in Egypt.

Noting that the situation in Egypt is still developing in many senses, she said the two countries have similar views on the Arab state and the need for an orderly transition. "We agreed that we have to stay focused in terms of seeing how the situation develops," she said.

"In the months to come we will see how we can help Egypt according to its requirements as it moves towards the path of consolidation towards democratic institutions," Rao said.

The Indian Ambassador in Cairo has already been sensitised about the discussion between the External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and Clinton on how India can help Egypt in its election process. "He would discuss this with Egyptian authorities and well determine the course of action based on those discussions," Rao said.