*** REVEALED *** In India, Obama looks to capitalize on new friendship Washington (CNN)On a sunny morning in September, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived at the White House facing low expectations for renewed U.S.-India relations and awkward questions about his visa status in the United States. A few hours later, Modi was taking a previously unplanned tour of the Martin Luther King Jr. monument on the National Mall with President Barack Obama as his personal guide. The quiet moment was a rare incident of spontaneity on Obamas otherwise rigid daily agenda, and as the leaders gazed at the stone memorial in the midday sun, White House aides say a personal chemistry between the two men began to form. What came afterward was a surprise to everyone. At a November meeting of Asian leaders in Burma, the Indian prime minister delivered Obama an astounding request: become the first American president to headline Indias Republic Day parade. Obama agreed, and on Monday, he will stand alongside Modi to take in the colorful yearly spectacle marking the emergence of the worlds largest democracy. The invitation, Obamas aides say, came as a shock - but also presented a diplomatic opening unseen between the two countries in decades. It took us by some surprise, said Ben Rhodes, the Presidents deputy national security adviser. I think (Obama) sees this as a potentially transitional, if not transformational, moment for the relationship.
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 06:58:59 +0000