US, India to enhance Defence, Energy ties
Pakistan Times Foreign Desk Report

NEW DELHI (India): India and the United States agreed during a flying visit by Condoleezza Rice to strengthen cooperation in defence and energy, rising above niggling differences over US arm sales to Pakistan and plans by New Delhi to buy gas from Iran.

The US Secretary of State, who arrived in New Delhi late Tuesday, held a flurry of meetings from early morning before departing for neighbouring Pakistan mid-afternoon on the second leg of a six-nation swing through Asia.

The US official was upbeat about the peace process between India and Pakistan after talks with Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh.

“We very much admire what the (Indian) Prime Minister and (Pakistani) President Pervez Musharraf have been able to continue, given the change in government here in India,” Rice told a joint press conference with Singh.

“It is heartening that dialogue has continued and indeed accelerated and we want to be supportive in any way that we can,” she said Wednesday.

Foreign Minister Singh said there “should be no doubt about our commitment to achieving peace with Pakistan,” adding that the peace process was “progressing satisfactorily”.

Singh's Rhetoric

But he warned: “It is critical Pakistan implement fully its solemn commitment to cease all cross-border terrorism against India”.

Rice and Singh also touched on developments in Nepal, where King Gyanendra on February 1 sacked the government and seized absolute power.

“On Nepal we agreed that recent events have been a setback to (the region),” Singh told the press conference. “Democratic freedoms must be restored and reconciliation with political parties must lead to a return to a multi-party democracy in Nepal,” he added.

“There needs to be a return to democracy in Nepal,” Rice said in an interview with Indian television station NDTV.

She also underlined US cooperation with India to provide relief after the December 26 tsunami and said it signalled more joint military-to-military exercises.

“Our defence cooperation is strong with military-to-military contacts and joint exercises and the United States looks forward to enhancing that defence cooperation over the next several years,” Rice said.

Sale of F-16s

When asked about the possible sale of F-16 fighter jets to India, Rice replied: “The sale of F-16s came up.” She said no agreement would be announced on the issue, adding that the sale of the warplanes would also likely be raised in talks with Islamabad later this week.

Singh noted the sale of F-16s to Pakistan “could create some complications but I think there were no serious differences of opinion” with Rice.

India’s strong economic growth is also spurring demand for greater energy supplies, including new power plants, and Rice said she would focus on an energy policy between the two countries.

“We need to look at the broader question as to how India meets its energy needs over the next decade. We believe that a broad energy dialogue should be launched with India because the needs are there,” she said.

However, she recalled that Washington has already expressed opposition to an agreement last month by the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan to go ahead with a 4.5-billion-dollar pipeline linking Iran’s South Pars gas field to India via restive southwest Pa. She said the US remains opposed to proposed gas pipeline from Iran to India.

Eschews Topic of Indian Seat

Rice, meanwhile, side-stepped the issue of Indian demands for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, saying, “We are at the beginning of discussions about UN reforms ... our view is that the reform of the UN has to be understood as a broad process.”

The US top official called on Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and main opposition leader Lal Krishna Advani before meeting the foreign minister again over a working lunch. Meanwhile, New Delhi and Washington Wednesday held parleys on wide ranging issues covering Pak-India ties, Afghanistan, Nepal, Iraq, West Asia and other issues of mutual interest.

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice held 45 minutes talks with External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh.●