UN schedule: PM to meet Bush, Gen

In New York, the PM will address the Indian community, a staple event for prime ministers travelling to the US, but he will also find time to meet investors on Wall Street, a highly prestigious function where the PM will showcase the Congress government’s determination to reform with a ‘‘caring’’ face.

The annual journey to New York for the UN General Assembly in September is a highlight of every prime minister’s foreign calendar, especially since its a huge opportunity to network with the rest of the world. A meeting with President Bush is on the cards as also with President Musharraf, although dates of these events are not public yet for security reasons.

It’s also unclear how substantive the meeting with the US President will be, considering he is already in the thick of the Presidential election campaign. On the other hand, with Indian ambassador to the US Ronen Sen already having met US Secretary of State Colin Powell — his presentation of credentials at the White House is expected soon — it is likely that both sides could push the incipient dialogue on the transfer of high technology and other issues that comprise the ‘‘Next Steps for Strategic Partnership’’.

Foreign Office sources also confirmed a meeting with Musharraf, but stressed that the quality of the exchange would significantly depend on the meeting between the two foreign ministers, Natwar Singh and Khurshid Kasuri on September 5-6 in the capital. This will be preceded by a one-day dialogue between the two foreign secretaries, Shyam Saran and Riaz Khokhar.

The Foreign Minister has a busy September ahead too. After the meeting with Kasuri, he will head for Oman and Abu Dhabi (visits that were postponed because of his sudden travel to Washington for the funeral of Ronald Reagan). When he returns, he will accompany the PM to New York for the UN General Assembly and stay on after the PM returns.