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India is an 'important democracy': US

T V Parasuram in Washington

White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer has hailed India as 'an important democracy' and a 'friend of the United States'.

President George W Bush is 'very pleased that relations with India are strong', and that Bush and Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee 'had a good meeting up in New York', Fleischer said at a press briefing on Thursday night.

He was answering a questioner who wanted to know how the Indo-US relationship was shaping up.

On another question about a press report that the Secret Service has advised Bush to travel only to India but not to Pakistan because it could not guarantee the President's safety in Pakistan, Fleischer said that he had not heard any such report. "I never comment on any potential presidential travel," he said.

"There are always rumours about the president travelling to every nation around the globe and I don't report on any until there is anything from the White House to announce," he said. "And there is nothing that has been brought anywhere close to my attention indicating that, so I don't have anything for you on that."

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