Obama Calls up Singh, Talks about Afghanistan, Climate Change

US President Barack Obama telephonically spoke to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and discussed the current situation in Afghanistan and further steps required to establish peace and stability in the region.

It should be noted that he is to take a decision on sending 34,000 troops to Afghanistan few hours from now.

In the course of ‘brief conversation’, the two leaders also talked about the forthcoming summit on climate change, said the Prime Minister’s Office.

Singh told Obama that India would play a constructive role in the negotiations and looked forward to a successful outcome in Copenhagen.

Obama’s call to Singh bears further significance for it has come following two leaders’ meeting in Washington last week, in which they prominently discussed the Afghan issue. Singh had said that it was important for all major regional and international players to put their weight behind the Afghan government.

Obama had highlighted the importance of tackling violence and extremism emanating from the region ‘in a serious way’.