Friday, December 23 2005 11:18 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: US President George W Bush along with the First Lady Laura Bush are looking forward to their India visit in early 2006 as relations between the two countries are "poised for a very significant advance in the coming months".

"It was conveyed to me that President Bush and the First Lady are very much looking forward to the forthcoming visit to India," Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran told reporters at the end of his two-day official visit to the US.

"I in turn assured the Secretary of State, the National Security Advisor and my interlocutor at the State Department, Nicholas Burns that a very warm welcome awaits President Bush in India and that we would like this visit not only to be a demonstration of the transformation which has taken place in India-US relations during the past year but would also have a lot of substance in that relationship".

Saran had a hectic schedule here with his meetings spread over at the Departments of State, Defence, Commerce, Energy and Capitol Hill.

"It was a very crowded agenda and I go back very satisfied with the progress that has been achieved in the relationship between our two countries. We have achieved considerable advance in terms of the implementation of the various understandings which were reached on July 18 and I believe we have a very good foundation for taking our relations to a much higher level," Saran remarked.

"All in all this has been an extremely satisfying visit for me and I believe India-US relations are poised for a very significant advance in the coming months," Saran said.

He talked about the meeting of the Joint Working Group on civilian nuclear energy cooperation where the two sides shared ideas "about the processes which flow from the commitments in their own countries and with the relationships with their international partners".

The Foreign Secretary maintained that 'significant progress' was achieved in developing a mutual understanding of the steps needed to advance the early implementation of the agreement" with the working group now scheduled to hold its next meeting in New Delhi in January 2006.