NEW DELHI, SEPTEMBER 6: Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee left for his 12-day visit to the US tonight and said his ``core'' message while abroad was that ``India was ready to take its place as an active member of the international community, a confident democracy and a vigorous economy.''The PM's statement indicates that despite domestic opposition, New Delhi is getting ready to open up and play a far more integrative role in world affairs than it has dared to so far. And though no major agreements or decisions are likely to be announced on this trip, its value will lie in the background, in the formulation of a more stable and predictable relationship with the most powerful nation in the world.New Delhi's strategy will be twofold: to cement bilateral ties and to persuade the US to put greater pressure on Pakistan over its sponsorship of cross-border terrorism. For despite President Clinton's indirect criticism of Islamabad during his visit to the subcontinent in March and in recent weeks, the government hopes Islamabad will be put on the mat far more directly.Vajpayee will address the UN Millennium summit at New York on Friday, later traveling to Washington for a bilateral state visit that is expected to forge closer political and economic ties between the two countries.Speaking at the airport just before he boarded his plane, Vajpayee said the thrust of his speech at the summit would address the ``hopes of the people of India and their vision for a world order which accommodates these aspirations.'' The PM said he would also sign the UN convention for the suppression of the financing of terrorism.Interestingly, Vajpayee chose to compliment the US Congress for the positive role that it played to foment the bilateral relationship and left out any mention of the State Department. The PM addresses the Congress on September 14.The Congress, the PM said, had ``extended a valuable support to the process of strengthening Indo-US relations. I shall use the opportunity to present my views on the on the future of Indo-US ties.''Vajpayee said he would meet President Clinton the next day and take up bilateral, regional and global issues in his meeting. ``The agenda is well-known,'' said the PM, adding, ``I am hopeful that we will take forward and consolidate our mutual desire for cooperation in all areas, particularly economic cooperation in the area of science & technology, information technology'' besides other areas.The PM will also unveil a statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Washington.
