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Trip boosted Indo-US understanding, says PM

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee arrived in New Delhi late on Tuesday night after his 13-day visit to the United States.

The prime minister observed that his talks in Washington had led to a better understanding between the two countries of various issues, including India's security perspective and the threat of international terrorism.

"The visit has helped deepen our relations with the US. It has also helped in developing a better understanding of India," he told reporters at Delhi's Palam airport.

Vajpayee, who alighted from the aircraft soon after landing at 2202 IST, was received by Home Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani and other members of his Cabinet.

The three service chiefs, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K C Pant, some American diplomats and a large number of Bharatiya Janata Party politicians, including Madan Lal Khurana, Sahib Singh Verma and M Venkaiah Naidu, were also present.

To a question about his health, a jaded-looking Vajpayee said he was feeling fine. Nonetheless, he left without addressing the 200 or so BJP workers who had gathered in a specially erected pandal.

A statement distributed later to reporters by the prime minister's office noted that there was wider appreciation of India's handling of the challenges posed to its internal and external security.

"We have projected our position on the resumption of dialogue with Pakistan," it said, adding that this would be possible only when Islamabad creates the right atmosphere by stopping cross-border terrorism and its "harsh propaganda" against India.

Vajpayee said in the statement that the visit had led to the fruition of the agenda that had been set out in the Indo-US vision statement. There was increasing convergence of each other's perspectives, he said.

rediff.com assigned Associate Editors Amberish K Diwanji and Savera R Someshwar to cover Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to the United States. Log into rediff.com to read news and features about this historic visit.

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