Thursday, September 21 2006 11:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Washington: Ahead of the tabling of the Indo-US nuclear deal in the Senate, Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran will hold talks with senior Bush administration officials in Washington today (Sept 21,2006).

Saran, currently in New York to meet US officials and foreign dignatories who have come for the 61st United Nations General Assembly Session, will also exchange views with top law makers on Capitol Hill during his trip to Washington.

The Foreign Secretary will also meet Republican majority leader Bill Frist on Capitol Hill.

During his brief stay in Washington, Saran is expected to meet with senior officials of the administration, both at the State Department and at the White House, and will discuss a wide range of bilateral, multilateral and global issues.

Saran already met the US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns in New York yesterday.

The visit of the Foreign Secretary to the US comes at a time when major hurdles in tabling the Indo-US civilian nuclear bill in the US Senate are being removed.

Word on Wednesday afternoon was that the "hold" placed on the legislation by three Senators has been lifted, paving the way for the Bill to be considered on the floor for a debate and vote.

A formal announcement from Senator Frist's office is expected on considering the legislation on the floor.

The anonymous hold put on the legislation -- said to be by Republican conservatives -- had nothing to do with the civilian nuclear deal per se; rather it had to do with Title Two of the Bill that was tagged along pertaining to an Additional Protocol between the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency.