Washington  - US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced Wednesday she will visit India in July to discuss the nuclear cooperation deal and the strengthening of ties.

Clinton also welcomed improved dialogue between nuclear rivals India and Pakistan following the meeting Tuesday in Russia between Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

"India and Pakistan actually face a number of common challenges, and we welcome a dialogue between them," she told the US-India Business Council.

The Bush administration completed a deal with India last year that allows US firms to sell civilian nuclear technology and material to India for generating energy. Clinton said the deal "removed the final barrier to broader cooperation between us."

"The new governments in Washington and New Delhi will build this future together, and we will be discussing the details of that partnership when I visit India next month," she said. (dpa)