21 January 2004	Wednesday	28 Ziqa'ad 1424

WASHINGTON, Jan 20: US President George Bush on Tuesday met Indian Foreign Minister Yashwant Sinha, praising recent progress towards defusing tensions between India and Pakistan, the White House said.

"The president congratulated the foreign minister on the important progress being made in the relationship between Pakistan and India," spokesman Scott McClellan said after the early-morning meeting at the presidential mansion.

"They also discussed the next steps in the strategic partnership between India and the United States" in the wake of President Bush's announcement last week of deepening cooperation on space, missile defence and civilian nuclear programmes, said Mr McClellan.

"Cooperation in these areas will deepen the ties of commerce and friendship between our two nations and will increase stability in Asia and beyond," Mr Bush said in a statement announcing the shift.

The two nations will take "a series of reciprocal steps", including expanded engagement on nuclear regulatory and safety issues and missile defence, and they will seek ways to enhance cooperation in peaceful uses of space technology, said Mr Bush. On the high-technology trade front, the two sides will tighten restrictions aimed at curbing the spread of weapons of mass destruction.-AFP