George Bush and Manmohan Singh at the news conference. Picture by Jay Mandal

New Delhi, March 2: At his interaction with Indian leaders today, the US President showed more interest in mangoes than Kashmir.

Bush made only passing reference to the territory dispute between the neighbours, saying he would encourage Delhi and Islamabad to continue making progress on all issues, including Kashmir.

India has tried hard to delink Indo-US relations from Pakistan and Kashmir, and the diplomatic efforts seem to have succeeded. At his joint news conference with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Hyderabad House, Bush said India and the US have built a strategic partnership based on common values.

The US President, however, would not soften on India’s claim to a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. “I am not surprised you asked it,” he smiled at a reporter.

He said the question had cropped up during his recent interviews to the Indian media. “My answer has not changed, by the way, which is this. One, we support UNSC reform, and we are interested in different ways to reform the UNSC. My concern all along, however, is that if we only stick to the UNSC reform, we miss an opportunity to reform the UN overall.”

The media conference was held on the lawns of Hyderabad House. The road traffic outside the venue, situated near the busy India Gate, was stopped before Bush began his address. From vantage points, US security personnel watched the buildings around them through binoculars. Bush looked relaxed in front of around 100 journalists.

He said the US was looking forward to eating Indian mangos now that trade between the two countries is opening up further.

Bush said he wanted more Indian students to study in the US and promised more H1B visas for Indian scientists and engineers.