In a brief public appearance at the White House, the two leaders celebrated what Singh called the "enormous transformation" of India-US ties for the better, citing an explosion of bilateral trade and the July 2005 atomic accord.

"The people of India deeply love you," said the prime minister, who was making likely his final visit to Washington before the vastly unpopular US president's term ends in January.

The meeting came as the Bush administration and the nuclear accord's supporters in the US Congress pressed for quick passage of the agreement before lawmakers leave Washington to campaign ahead of the November 4 elections.

"We are working hard to get it passed as quickly as possible," Bush promised Singh. "It's in the US interest to have a good strong strategic relationship with India."

A debate and vote in the House of Representatives was scheduled for Friday, according to House Foreign Affairs Committee spokeswoman Lynne Weil. It was not clear when the US Senate would take up the accord.

"I sincerely hope that this agreement, which is now before the US Congress, will be approved in a manner which will be satisfactory from the point of view of both our countries," said the prime minister.

Bush, who hosted Singh at the White House in July 2005 and visited India and nuclear rival Pakistan in March 2006, touted vastly improved relations with India during his eight years as president.

"You and I have worked hard to change the relationship between our countries. India's a great country with an incredibly bright future," he said. "I appreciate your friendship and I appreciate your leadership."

Singh thanked Bush for welcoming him to the White House, noting: "I know how busy you are with problems relating to the management of the financial crisis," and highlighting the importance to India of the nuclear deal.

"When history is written, I think it will be recorded that President George W. Bush played a historic role in bringing our two democracies closer to other," said the prime minister.

The nuclear accord offers India access to Western technology and cheap atomic energy as long as it allows UN nuclear inspections of some of its nuclear facilities.

If Congress endorses the agreement it would lift a three decades-old ban on nuclear trade with India, a non member of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

If US lawmakers fail to approve the accord before leaving to campaign, they could always take the agreement up when they reconvene after the November 4 elections.

"We have some work to do with Congress, but I think that that's on the right track," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino told reporters ahead of the meeting.

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