The Hindu : We fully support Palestinian cause, says Vajpayee

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Nov 16, 2003

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We fully support Palestinian cause, says Vajpayee

By Amit Baruah

DAMASCUS NOV. 15. There is no change in India's position on establishing peace in West Asia, the Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, assured the Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, here today. .

The Prime Minister, who arrived in Damascus late on Friday night from Tajikistan, said the situation in this region was a "matter of great concern" to India.

Briefing presspersons after the discussions at the Presidential Palace, the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, quoted Mr. Vajpayee as telling Dr. Assad that India was "fully" with the Palestinian cause.

Both countries also agreed on the need for an "early return" of sovereignty to the people of Iraq, a theme that had figured in the discussions Mr. Vajpayee had on November 12 with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, as well.

India, the Prime Minister said, had consistently called for a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in West Asia based on the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the "land for peace" formula.

Referring to the September visit by the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, to New Delhi, Mr. Vajpayee said that Mr. Sharon had been told that there had been no change in India's position seeking a "quick Israeli withdrawal" from Palestinian cities and other "occupied" territories.

India and Syria also signed nine agreements in the fields of biotechnology, education, small industries, agriculture, science and technology, culture and technical cooperation.

Mr. Vajpayee announced that India would extend a credit line of $25 million to Syria apart from a grant of $1 million to set up a Syrian National Biotechnology Centre.

The two countries decided to set up a group of experts to discuss complementarities in the economies of the two countries as well as a group of six persons to discuss further cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector.

Asked what kind of "support" India had received from Syria on Pakistan, Mr. Sinha said neither side raised the issue. "We did not come here to ask for anything on Pakistan," he said. India could deal with Pakistan on its own and was not speaking from a "position" of weakness.

The Prime Minister told Dr. Assad that violence and counter-violence would not lead to any solution in the region, a view that the Syrian leader concurred with.

Mr. Sinha said that both India and Syria condemned terrorism.

In response to a question whether the Prime Minister spoke specifically about ending the occupation of the Golan Heights, Mr. Sinha said that when India spoke of withdrawal from "occupied territories" this included the Golan Heights, taken by the Israelis in 1967.

"India has been consistently of the view that Israel has to vacate the occupied lands. So, it does not have to be reiterated again and again. It was sufficient for the Prime Minister to say that India was in favour of withdrawal of Israel from the occupied lands."

"The question of the situation in this region did come up. And it was discussed. We exchanged views," Mr. Sinha said when asked whether Israel's posture towards Syria came up during the talks.

On whether the issue of Indo-Syrian defence cooperation had figured in the deliberations between Mr. Vajpayee and Dr. Assad, he replied in the negative.

Did Dr. Assad ask India to counsel Israel to exercise restraint in its dealings with Palestine? Mr. Sinha said, "No. They did not ask us to mediate. And we have no such desire either. But I think there is far greater concern on our side on India-Israel relations than there is, perhaps, in the Arab world."

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