Washington, Sept 22: US President George W Bush has said that he has not given up hopes for getting Indian troops in Iraq and was looking forward to meet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in New York. Bush said he had not "given up on India" on the issue of sending troops and was going to talk to the Prime Minister about it when they meet, a media report said here.
"I am looking forward to seeing him," Bush told New York-based weekly, 'India Abroad', at a fund-raiser by Indian organisations in Fort Lauderdale recently.
He also said he can understand Vajpayee's problems back home regarding the sending of troops.

"I would love to have Indian troops but he (Vajpayee) has a problem with it. He has an election coming up and I understand his problem," Bush said. Bush described Vajpayee as "a good man, a courageous man," referring to his recent peace initiatives with Pakistan.


Asked whether he would visit India in the event of his being re-elected in 2004, bush said: "it is one of the first trips I will make if re-elected."

In a 25-minute speech to the audience supporting the Bush-Cheney ticket, bush repeated, "I am going, I am going, I so much want to go to India soon, and I am going to tell the Prime Minister that when I meet him in New York."

Over 60 affluent Indian American Republicans attended the fund-raiser function on September 9, resulting in donations totaling 1.5 million USD for Bush's re-election. It was organized by Dr Zach Zachariah, a prominent Republican and heart specialist, originally from Kerala. Bureau Report