Earlier on Friday, Indian National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon met US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns at the State Department for talks aimed at finalising the agenda for the Obama-Singh meeting on Sept 24.
Mr Singh will arrive in Washington on Sept 23 and will proceed to New York after the bilateral summit to address the UN General Assembly on Sept 28. During his four-day stay in New York, Mr Singh may also meet Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Washington hopes that their meeting will reduce tensions between the two neighbours.
The State Department said earlier this week that US ambassadors in Islamabad and New Delhi were working with their hosts governments to help reduce tensions between the neighbouring states.
The United States also wants India and Pakistan to help stabilise Afghanistan, noting that there could be no peace in that country unless Islamabad and New Delhi cooperate.
During a visit to Islamabad earlier this month, US Secretary of State John Kerry said that President Obama wants to meet the Pakistani prime minister during the same period. But it is still not clear if the Obama-Sharif meeting will take place in Washington or New York as Mr Sharif is also expected to attend the UNGA.
Meanwhile, the Indian media have reported that President Obama and Mr Singh are also expected to have a trilateral meeting with Afghan President Hamid Karzai on the sidelines of the UNGA. Prime Minister Sharif is also expected to meet President Karzai during the UNGA.
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