India PM Manmohan Singh to meet Aung San Suu Kyi

Photo:  Reuters

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is set to meet opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, on the second day of a historic visit to Burma.

Mr Singh is the first Indian PM to visit Burma since 1987.

On Monday he met Burmese President Thein Sein and signed a series of deals including a $500m (£319m) credit line.  The two sides also signed deals on border area development, air services, cultural exchange and the establishment of a joint trade and investment forum.  The two nations share a 1,600km (1,000 mile) border, but relations have often been uneasy.

Delhi cold-shouldered Burma's military rulers during the 1990s, infuriating the generals by openly supporting Ms Suu Kyi.  But Mr Singh, who arrived in the Burmese capital on Sunday, has overseen a dramatic turnaround in Delhi's policy and hosted former ruler Than Shwe on a state visit in 2010.

In a joint statement after their meeting, the Indian and Burmese leaders said there was ''considerable untapped potential for greater trade and urged the business community to capitalise on this potential".

Continue reading the main storyThe mutually agreed target was to double bilateral trade by 2015. Mr Singh is due to meet Ms Suu Kyi in Rangoon, before the opposition leader - who spent years under house arrest - flies to Thailand for her first overseas visit in 24 years.Mr Singh is the latest in a series of leaders to visit Burma as it embarks on a process of reform under the new government.

India is now Burma's third biggest export market, behind China and Thailand.

But China still dominates oil and gas exploration in Burma and is involved in the construction of roads, pipelines and port facilities.

Analysts say India is desperate to counteract the influence of China in the region, and Mr Singh will be keen to stress the close cultural and historical ties between the two countries.

Full article can be seen here:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18245929