Washington: As President Barack Obama left
New Delhi at the end of his maiden visit to the country during
which he identified India as an indispensable partner, his
predecessor George W Bush said he believes that India has the
potential to be one of the closet partners of the US.
"I believe India, home to roughly a billion people and
an educated middle class, has the potential to be one of
America's closet partners," Bush wrote in his book 'Decision
Points' which hit the stands within hours of Obama leaving New Delhi for Indonesia.
Bush, who took the Indo-US relationship to a new level
and ended India's nuclear apartheid by signing the civilian
nuclear agreement with it, said the deal was the "culmination
of our efforts" to improve relations between the world's
oldest democracy and the world's largest democracy.
"The nuclear agreement was a historic step because it
signalled the country's new role on the world stage," he said,
adding the nuclear deal naturally raised concerns in Pakistan.
Bush said he started writing this book, the day he
left office.
However, he acknowledges that he has not written much
about the civilian nuclear deal, one of his key foreign policy
accomplishments.
"I do not fully cover foreign policy accomplishments
such as the historic civil nuclear agreement with India or the
Merida Initiatives to fight drugs with Mexico," he wrote in
his 501-page book.
PTI
First Published: Tuesday, November 09, 2010, 15:40