Terrorism will be high on the agenda when Indian Premier Manmohan Singh meets President George Bush later this month, the US has said coming out with a strong condemnation of the serial blasts that rocked New Delhi over the weekend.
"We were distressed to see the terrorist attacks against innocent civilians in India this weekend. We obviously stand with the Indians in trying to fight against terrorism and extremists, and we would help them in any way that we can to fight back against them," White House Press Secretary Dana Perino said.
The Prime Minister is to visit the United Nations to attend the General Assembly meeting and will meet Bush at the White House on September 25.
Asked whether President Bush will discuss the issue of terrorism with Singh, Perino replied in the affirmative.
"Absolutely", she said, adding, "... I know he (Bush) and the prime minister will talk about it when he's here".
During their meeting, the two leaders may sign the Indo-US nuclear deal if the US Congress approves the agreement by then.
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The senior White House official also said she believed that the latest developments on the global economy will be discussed at the UN with world leaders, including India. "I think there is no doubt that the way our financial system works, that everything is much more globalised and dependent. Which is why Secretary Paulson has been talking with his counterparts so frequently in the past several months," Perino said.
"I'm sure that the economy is going to be a topic at the UNGA meeting, which is going to take place next week. It was a topic at the G-8 meeting, and the G-7 ministers continue to talk about it as well," Perino said.