By IANS,
Washington : Here is a timeline of major events in India-US relations in 2008:
Jan 14 – India and the US hold high level talks on defence cooperation in Washington.
Jan 24 – India and the US agree to promote reciprocal trade and opportunities for strategic linkages between small and medium enterprises.
Feb 1 – The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and US space agency NASA agree to cooperate in space flights and outer space use.
Feb 8 – Air India launches non-stop flights between New York and New Delhi.
Feb 26 – US Defence Secretary Robert Gates visits India.
Feb 28 – India-US High Technology Cooperation Group holds its sixth meeting in New Delhi.
March 25 – External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee meets President George Bush at the White House to share India’s problems in taking the nuclear deal forward.
May 9 – Mukherjee discusses nuclear deal with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice over phone.
June 11 – Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath visits the US to participate in the Global Partnership summit.
July 4 – Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and US Ambassador to India David Mulford sign agreement on financing education exchange programmes.
July 9 – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh meets President George Bush in Toyako, Japan, on the sidelines of G-8 and informs him of India’s decision to go ahead with the nuclear deal.
July 10 – Bush expresses appreciation for Manmohan Singh’s “commitment and willingness” to move forward with the nuclear deal despite the threat to his government.
Aug 1 – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) approves India-specific safeguards agreement clearing one more hurdle in the way of the India-US nuclear deal.
Aug 9-23 – The Indian Air Force participates in multinational Exercise Red Flag at the Nellis US Air Force Base in the deserts of Nevada.
Sep 6 – With the US playing India’s sherpa, NSG clears nuclear deal, paving way for its final approval by the US Congress.
Sep 7-10 – Defence Minister A.K. Antony visits the US, meets Robert Gates, talks with Rice on nuclear deal .
Sep 9 – With Antony in town, the US offers India a $170 million deal for the sale of Harpoon missiles.
Sep 10 – Bush sends nuclear deal text to the US Congress for its approval.
Sep 19 – Air India gets $548.6 million loan from the US Ex-Im Bank.
Sep 23 – Senate foreign relations panel approves nuclear deal with an overwhelming 19-2 vote.
Sep 25 – On a visit to the UN, Manmohan Singh comes down to Washington to meet Bush amid belied hopes that the US Congress would clear nuclear deal.
Sep 27 – Nuclear deal sails through the US House of Representatives with 298-117 votes.
Oct 1 – Senate gives a resounding 86-13 approval to the nuclear deal clearing the last legislative hurdle in its way.
Oct 3 – The US offers to sell India CBU-105 smart cluster bomb missiles in a $375-million deal.
Oct 4 – Rice visits New Delhi but returns without signing the nuclear deal as India insists on Bush assurances on nuclear fuel supplies.
Oct 8 – Bush signs US law approving the nuclear deal, allaying India’s concerns about nuclear fuel supplies with a signing statement.
Oct 10 – Mukherjee and Rice sign the implementing 123 agreement to finally complete the nuclear deal.
Oct 22 – NASA returns to Moon with its instruments on India’s first Chandrayaan-1 lunar probe mission.
Nov 5 – Manmohan Singh congratulates Democrat Barack Obama on his election as the first African-American president of the US.
Nov 12 – Obama telephones Manmohan Singh.
Nov 14 – An Obama special envoy to the G-20 summit says the president-elect attaches high priority to stronger ties with India.
Nov 27 – Bush condemns Mumbai terror attack, calls Manmohan Singh to voice support.
Nov 27 – Obama backs a country’s right to self-defence and vows to strengthen US partnership with India to root out terrorism.
Dec 3 – Rice visits India to show Washington’s solidarity with New Delhi, asks Pakistan to act against non-state actors launching terror attacks from its soil.
Dec 8 – Obama reiterates a country’s right to self-defence.
Dec 8: The largest ever US commercial nuclear mission to India is rescheduled for January following Mumbai terror attacks.