NEW DELHI, Jan 28: State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Rice had started to make contact with world leaders, speaking by phone with President Pervez Musharraf and foreign ministers Sergei Lavrov of Russia and Gianfranco Fini of Italy.

Other calls were planned. Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh has invited new US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to visit India during a telephone call to congratulate her on her appointment, a government spokesman said on Friday.

The minister spoke to Ms Rice late on Thursday and extended the invitation, he said. Ms Rice also invited Mr Singh to visit the United States, the foreign ministry spokesman added. Ms Rice was sworn in as US secretary of state on Wednesday, replacing Colin Powell as the chief US diplomat. -AFP