India-US ties not to affect relations with other nations — PM

Reflecting the marked upswing in bilateral ties in the backdrop of President Bill Clinton’s visit to India in March this year, he said, "Both are democracies, believing in plural societies, committed to human rights. After our frank and friendly talks with President Clinton, whatever doubts were there, they are there no more.”

Responding to questions on whether closer Indo-US ties would have an adverse fallout on Sino-Indian relations, Vajpayee, who leaves on a fortnight-long visit to the US later this week, said, "Our coming together with the US doesn’t mean that our relations with other countries would be adversely affected.”

"The relationships (India’s with the US and China) stand on separate footing,” he added.

"Our relations with China are improving. We are having satisfactory border talks to solve the boundary question,” he said.