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Thursday, Dec 09, 2004

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Poll panel can train Iraqis in India: Natwar

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI. DEC. 8. The External Affairs Minister, Natwar Singh, today categorically stated that the Government had no intention to send anybody from the Election Commission to help in the conduct of polls there. Mr. Singh told the Lok Sabha that New Delhi was prepared to train Iraqi personnel in India. "The Iraqis can send their people for training; we will not send anybody to Iraq,'' he said.

Mr. Singh focussed on a host of issues in the course of a lengthy reply to a discussion in Parliament. Referring to Pakistan, Mr. Singh expressed the hope that the future of India-Pakistan relations did not lie in the past. He conceded that all was not well in the bilateral relations. "I do not wish to give a picture saying that all is well. It is not. There are complicated issues going back many decades; there are no quick fixes and there are no magic solutions available. But we are emphasising the aspects which are positive and trying to solve all aspects which are negative," he said.

Praise for Vajpayee

In a rare display of bipartisanship, the External Affairs Minister gave credit to the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, for engaging Pakistan in a sustained and comprehensive dialogue process. "I must record that this process started on January 6, when both Mr. Vajpayee and General Musharraf announced that they would have a composite dialogue," said Mr. Singh.

At the same time, Mr. Singh said the country's foreign policy now had clearer focus, sense of maturity, and a proactive character. "The UPA Government has given a foreign policy which is purposeful, result-oriented and proactive. Today, there is general recognition that India's destiny is being guided by steady hands backed by both experience and wisdom."

Mr. Singh said he had initiated mechanisms for coordination with other Ministries and agencies as well as State Governments, particularly those bordering the neighbouring countries. "We are closely coordinating our diplomacy with the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in respect of securing energy supplies for India in different parts of the world."

Differences with U.S.

On Indo-U.S. relations, Mr. Singh said despite the fact that both the countries were vibrant democracies there was a difference in perspective on specific issues. The UPA Government had expressed concern over the U.S. move to sell a weapons package to Pakistan, which included surveillance aircraft and anti-tank missiles. "We have pointed out that the supply of arms to Pakistan at a time when India-Pakistan is at a sensitive stage will have a negative impact. We have also conveyed that the arms supply would also impact on the goodwill that the U.S. enjoys in India, particularly as a sister democracy."

On the possible supply of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan, Mr. Singh told the House that India had cautioned the U.S. Government against such a decision. He assured Parliament that in case the U.S. supplied arms to Pakistan, the UPA Government "will not hesitate to take steps to ensure that our defence preparedness is not compromised in any way".

The Minister said that the country shared a strategic and time-tested relationship with Russia, which had been further boosted by Russian support for India's candidature to the U.N. Security Council with veto power.

On ties with China, he said the relations with Beijing were on the upswing. He referred to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh's meeting with his Chinese counterpart and quoted Mr. Wen Jibao as saying that his visit to India in March would be the most important item on his agenda.

Mr. Singh said the UPA Government had refocused India's foreign policy by giving priority to relations with neighbours, and referred to the number of high-level visits from neighbouring countries.

Referring to the visit by Myanmar's head of state, the first in 26 years, Mr. Singh said it had resulted in important cross-border projects being taken up and coordinated action to deal with insurgency and extremist activities in the border areas. The Government had high regard for Aung San Suu Kyi and it would continue to encourage the process of democratisation in Myanmar.

Mr. Singh also reiterated India's support for the cause of the Palestinians and referred to the all-party delegation led by him to the PLO Chairman, Yasser Arafat's funeral. One of the key achievements of his Government had been its "Focus Africa Policy" and "Look East Policy". "We have given a new dimension to our partnership with ASEAN countries," Mr. Singh said.

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