Thank you for arranging beautiful weather: Bush tells PM

New Delhi, Mar 2 (UNI) A joke by US President George W Bush marked the beginning of his official engagements in India during the three-day visit.

''I also thank you for arranging beautiful weather,'' a cheerful Bush told Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after a ceremonial welcome accorded to him in the forecourt of the ''majestic'' Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Mr Bush thanked President A P J Abdul Kalam and Dr Singh for the ''grand opening reception,'' the kind of which, he said, he had never received anywhere in the world during his numerous visits.

The horses of the President's body guards that ''led us in'' to the forecourt ''added elegance to the welcome ceremony'' outside the majestic building, which, he said was ''breath-taking''.

The setting for the ceremonial welcome, accorded at 0900 hrs, could not have been better as the pink sand-stone building gleamed in the bright but soft morning sun-shine, while the cool, winter breeze was very soothing to Mr Bush and others who attended the brief function that lasted about 15 minutes.

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