Bush tells Maoists to abandon violence, King to reach out to parties NEW DELHI, March 2 - Standing shoulder-to-shoulder US President George W Bush and Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Thursday vowed to encourage democracy in South Asia. And in Nepal, they urged the Maoist rebels to abandon the path of violence and King Gyanendra to reach out to the political parties for reconciliation. "We'd like to thank India for supporting democracy in your neighborhood," a smiling Bush told a joint press conference in New Delhi Thursday afternoon. "In Nepal, the Maoists should abandon the path of violence. And we agreed that the King should reach out to the political parties for reconciliation." On a three-day visit to India via Kabul on Wednesday night, Bush was welcomed by Indian President APJ Abdul Kalama earlier in the day whence he also visited the 'Samadhi' of late Mahatma Gandhi, India's father of nation, to lay a wreath in his honor. The visit, amidst tight security -- altogether 17 well-trained sniffer dogs are accompanying the world's most powerful leader -- however has touched off widespread protests across India. In Pakistan, two bombs went off outside the US Consulate in Karachi and a five-star-hotel where Bush will be staying later in the week during his visit. Yet the President said: "The terrorists are not going to stop me from going to Pakistan… We stand [together] against terrorism." Meanwhile, the mood in New Delhi is euphoric given that the world has seen a remarkable transformation of India from an isolated, controversial nuke power after the May 1998 nuclear tests to a legitimate nuclear power that -- if things go according to plan -- can soon catapult India into the loop of nuclear commerce. For now, India and the US are tantalizingly close to hammering out a nuclear deal. The only issue remaining to be straightened out is the issue of nuclear safeguards for India. But analysts say that might as well be cleared after consultations in the US Congress and the exclusive club of International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA). Also, the two powerful nations have already agreed to foster vigorous cooperation in a number of areas such as trade and investments, energy, agriculture, science and technology, high-tech industries and health care sector.