Obama leaves India after 'breakthrough' visit

They boarded a special Airforce One fligh from Palam Aiport  at around 1-55 pm and headed for  Saudi Arabia to  offer  condolences for the death of King Abdullah.

Obama and his wife folded hands in a traditional "namaste" and waved before boarding the aircraft.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal and, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, were among those present to see them off.

They cut short their visit by few hours and cancelled a trip to Agra to make time for an unscheduled visit to Saudi Arabia following the death of King Abdullah.

Obama became the first US president to take part in the Republic Day parade of India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

During the visit the two leaders also had a breakthrough in the stalled civil nuclear deal to make it operational.

Both the sides also decided to step up economic engagement.

In what Obama called a "breakthrough", the two sides resolved key hurdles pertaining to the liability of suppliers of nuclear reactors in the event of an accident and the tracking of fuel supplied by the US.

The American President on Tuesday  addressed a Town hall event at Siri Fort Auditorium, where he spoke on various issues and called for  religious tolerance.

Holding that India should be included as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), Obama ,addressing a gathering of students said America can not only be a natural partner of India but the best partner as they are both bound by shared democratic values.

"India and USA are not just natural partners, but I believe America can be India's best partner," said Obama addressing an audience comprising Delhi University students at the Town Hall of Siri Fort Auditorium in his last public appearance from the visit.

Obama said the two countries now stand together and the youth of India filled him with hope while the two democracies re not perfect but are fighting to remove inequality.
to inspect India's grand Republic Day parade on Jan 26 as the Chief Guest.