Home > News Archive > US thanks India for sheltering the Dalai Lama

US thanks India for sheltering the Dalai Lama

PTI

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, speak to the media prior to their meeting at her office on Capitol Hill in Washington, 23 November 2009.AP/Manuel Balce Ceneta/US

US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has invited Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to address the US Congress on his next visit in Washington, as she thanked India for extending hospitality to Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

“We hope that you will come back soon again, and I extend an invitation for you to address a Joint Session of the Congress when you come back – about our strategic partnership and how we go into the future,” Pelosi said in a joint press availability with Singh before their meeting in Washington.

“Also I want to thank India for the hospitality it extends to His Holiness the Dalai Lama,” she said, terming India a country that is based on values.

Pelosi said she looked forward to a conversation with the prime minister on how the US-India relationship can be strengthened as also to hear his views on “Afghanistan, Iran and fighting terrorism”.

“As the prime minister has told us again on this trip, it is time for us to have a new dynamic while we talk about economies that recognise that alleviation of poverty is central to all of our success,” she said.

“It is a sign of our friendship that the red carpet is being rolled out from the White House to the Capitol and in between to welcome this truly great man, perhaps one of the most respected leaders in the world,” Pelosi said.

An awkward statement, but nonetheless an acknowledgement that the Mumbai attack is not being ignored in America.

Dressed in a grey trouser suit, Pelosi seemed almost deferential in her manner.

She reminded members of the press “the red carpet has been laid for the Prime Minister from the White House to the Capitol Hill” as Dr Singh “is perhaps one of the most respected leaders in the world.”

The Prime Minister thanking the Speaker said that he was honoured and was here to give a new thrust to Indo-US relations.

Copyright © 2009 PTI

Published in Hindustan Times