New Delhi, Oct 1 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday returned home after a 10-day visit to the US and France, during which New Delhi and Paris signed a civil nuclear cooperation pact, and the nuclear deal with the US came close to fruition.
Manmohan Singh also addressed the UN General Assembly in New York last Friday and exhorted the world leaders to address global problems ranging from terrorism and international financial crisis to climate change and food and energy security. He held talks with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the UN meet.
In Washington, the prime minister held talks with US President George W. Bush on a wide range of bilateral and global issues. Bush assured Manmohan Singh that his administration is trying to wrap up the India-US nuclear deal as quickly as possible.
Minutes before Manmohan Singh left New York for France Saturday, the US House of Representatives approved the 123 Agreement, setting the stage for a consideration by the Senate.
On Monday, Manmohan Singh participated in the 9th India-European Union Summit in the French city of Marseilles. India and France signed a civil nuclear cooperation pact Tuesday, which made France the first country to sign such a pact with New Delhi after the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) lifted its decades old embargo against India.