Former US president Bill Clinton, who is also s special UN envoy, arrives here Wednesday on a three-day visit in quest of twin missions - to oversee relief work for tsunami victims and follow up on anti-AIDS research and campaign.

This would be his fourth trip to India in five years and his first to the tsunami-ravaged parts of the country since UN Secretary General Kofi Annan named him an envoy to oversee tsunami relief worldwide.

Clinton, widely considered a friend of India, will arrive Wednesday and meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as well as ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhim among other leaders.

He is also meeting NGOs and activists connected with AIDS awareness and cure programmes.

He is being hosted a dinner in the capital Wednesday by Agriculture Minister and Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar. He will have a private dinner at the Taj's Bukhara restaurant, famed for its Mughlai food, Thursday.

Clinton then visits Chennai Friday morning and travels to Nagapattinam, 400 km south, by a chopper to oversee the relief and rehabilitation work being undertaken by his family's William J. Clinton Foundation.

Sant Singh Chatwal, a New York hotelier and close friend of the Clintons, is here since Sunday to make arrangements for the visit. He had also organised the visit of Senator Hillary Clinton to India earlier this year to attend the India Today Conclave.

"Immediately after his heart surgery Clinton told me he wanted to go to India. When I told him it would be rather warm out there, he said it did not matter. He really loves India and its hospitality," Chatwal told IANS.

India was the third-most badly hit by the Dec 26 tsunami after Indonesia and Sri Lanka, with over 10,000 fatalities. Within India, Tamil Nadu bore maximum death and destruction. Among its worst hit districts was Nagapattinam.

After interacting with victims and relief officials and visiting some coastal hamlets, Clinton returns to Chennai by 5 p.m. He will focus on the issue of temporary shelters for the victims, the family foundation said.

In February, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan had appointed Clinton to be the UN point man for tsunami reconstruction.

Besides India, Clinton will visit some of the other countries that bore a major brunt of the tsunami.

He travels to Sri Lanka May 28, followed by a visit to the Maldivian capital Male and the country's Kaafu Guraidhoo islands May 29. In the Maldives, he will focus on the "adopt an island" initiative.

Clinton will then leave for Banda Aceh in Indonesia - the worst hit region.

"In each country Clinton will meet with all concerned parties - including the government, civil society, donors and the private sector - to assess the current status of the recovery effort," the announcement said.

Among the objectives of the visit is keeping the world's attention focused on the tsunami recovery in order to ensure that this effort is not forgotten. Some 280,000 people were killed in the disaster.

It is also meant to coordinate efforts at the country and global levels, and promote transparency and accountability to ensure that resources are used effectively for rehabilitation work.

In January, the Indian government turned down Kofi Annan's request to visit tsunami hit areas in India. Annan also did not go to any tsunami-hit area when he visited India tour in April.

A UN agency, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, has promised $30 million assistance to upgrade communication facilities in tsunami affected southern Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry.