PM, Obama shower encomiums on each other

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US president Barack Obama on Sunday held their second substantial dialogue in two months, during which they are understood to have discussed terrorism, the global economy and other issues of concern, including the situation in the region.

Dr Manmohan Singh with US president, Barack Obama, on the sidelines of G-20 summit at Toronto, Canada

During their meeting, the two leaders are understood to have discussed the prospects of a global economic recovery and the G20 summit. At the summit, both India and the US had cautioned against the winding up of government funding.

Their last meeting was on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington in April, when they reviewed bilateral ties.

Ahead of the meeting, Obama told reporters, "Whenever the Indian prime minister speaks, the whole world listens to him."

Praising the statesmanship of Manmohan Singh and the economic rise of India, Obama said he was ''looking forward'' and ''excited'' about visiting India with First Lady Michelle. His visit is scheduled for early November. He hoped the visit would be extremely productive for both sides.

''We are also just excited because of the tremendous cultural, as well as political and social and economic examples, that India is providing the world and has in the past,'' said the US president.