External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has arrived in Washington to meet the US President George W Bush. His visit is organized to hold a talk on civil nuclear war. Bush and Mukherjee are expected to go over broadening and deepening of Indo-US ties which will include the civil nuclear initiative.

Mukherjee will meet Secretary of state Condoleezza Rice at 8:45 am(6:15 pm IST) and will meet the President and the National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley at White House in the afternoon.

A range of issues on bilateral, regional and global issues will be expected to be discussed in the meetings with the civilian nuclear initiative being at the top discussion topic.

Bush administration will came to know about the views of Indian Government on this issue. Top lawmakers from the US have made it known to India of the absolute timeliness left for the second session of the 110th Congress to pass the nuclear deal. Mukherjee will get important timeliness left to be resolved if the nuclear deal is to get through this session of US congress.

Mukherjee would leave for New York on Tuesday on his way to India.