Washington: Home Minister P Chidambaram met with top US officials on Wednesday to deepen counter-terrorism cooperation between the countries after the Mumbai attacks last year.
Chidambaram, who was briefed on counter-terrorism and intelligence measures by officials of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New York Police Department and intelligence agencies in New York on Tuesday, met top officials of the Obama administration.
The Home Minister discussed the role of Pakistan in the Mumbai attacks and its non-action against the 26/11 plotters with National Security Advisor General James Jones.
Chidambaram also discussed these issues with two other top Obama officials - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and Attorney General Eric H Holder.
During his busy day, the Home Minister also met Senator Dianne Feinstein who heads the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and Congressman Sylvester Reyes who is chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence.
Chidambaram will meet Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday and brief the media in the evening about the outcome of his visit to the US.
Strategic ties with the US
The US on Wednesday said its relationship with India was undergoing "seismic changes" and will get a major boost during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit in November.
Washington also asked Pakistan to prosecute those responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks and stop infiltration of terrorists into India to rebuild confidence with New Delhi.
The bilateral trade between the two countries, which currently languishes at $2.1 billion, help a huge potential of deepening their relationship, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Robert O Blake said at Johns Hopkins University.
Describing the India-American relationship as undergoing "seismic changes", Blake said, "Our bilateral dialogue is less and less about resolving old legacy issues that divided us such as non-proliferation, and more and more about seizing new opportunities, both bilateral and multilateral."
He said the US was committed to deepening its relationship with India on five pillars - strategic cooperation; collaboration in science, technology and health; energy and climate change; education and trade and agriculture.
Blake said the strategic partnership between the two countries got a major boost during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to India in July.
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