India, US pledge to step up strategic cooperation

But Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh appeared to come away from a day of talks here without specific US support for New Delhi's long-cherished goal of a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Singh met with President George W. Bush and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice ahead of a planned visit here by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in July and a Bush trip to India sometime later.

Rice, who travelled to New Delhi last month, said the discussions Thursday were part of a continuing "strategic dialogue" between the United States and the world's most populous democracy.

"It is very important that the US-India relationship continues to grow as we recognise the growing importance of India as a global factor," Rice told a news conference. "This is a development we very much welcome."

Washington has been discussing the growing energy needs of the South Asian nuclear arms power, but a proposed pipeline to bring in gas from Iran has been the target of mounting US criticism.

Still, Rice signalled in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the Americans were not ready to sell nuclear reactor technology to the Indians. "We're not there, that is not the case," she said.

"We have agreed with the Indians that we can talk about a variety of energy sources but obviously there are NPT (nuclear non-proliferation treaty) implications that are quite serious about civilian nuclear power in India," she said.

One unresolved political issue appeared to be India's eagerness for a seat on the UN Security Council if and when it is expanded from its current 15 members as part of sweeping reforms urged for the world body.

Singh, who was on a three-day US visit, reiterated New Delhi's position: "By any criteria that you apply, India qualifies for a seat in the expanded council as a permanent member."

But Rice, whose country supports Japan's drive for council membership, was non-committal about India, saying only, "We believe UN Security Council reform needs to take place in the context of broader UN reform."

"It is my hope that we can do this in a way that builds consensus in the international community ... because what we do not need is acrimony as we try to move forward," she said.

Singh's visit came less than three weeks after US officials announced their intention to help make India a "major world power" as part of a new strategy to boost ties to New Delhi and its rival Pakistan.