Indo-US Co-operation

Question: What is Indian Government doing on the issue of Wheat?

Nirupama Rao India had pledged One million tons of wheat for Afghanistan and the necessary wheat stocks are available. We are pursuing various options for the transfer of the pledged quantity of wheat to Afghanistan.

Question: Do we have those stocks?

Nirupama Rao We have stocks that are free from Karnal Bund and infestation and other germs and diseases.

Question: Are we still in the process?

Nirupama Rao Yes, we are still in the process of discussing the modalities with the World Food Programme (WFP)

Question: What is the status of Sugar exports to Afghanistan?

Nirupama Rao We are talking about wheat, we are talking about wheat for Afghanistan we are not talking about sugar, we do not deal with sugar exports here.

Question: Are we exporting sugar to Afghanistan?

Nirupama Rao I am not aware of that. As far as the options are concerned these would include routes of transit for the wheat. The world food programme would suggest the routes of transit in this case because wheat is being sent through them.

Question: I think India has already sent 50, 000 tonnes to Afghanistan?

Nirupama Rao It is in the process of being sent.

Question: Nothing has been sent?

Nirupama Rao Not so far. In the process itself there are certain procedures involved to be discussed with the World Food Programme. Initial off take would be 50,000 tonnes as you mentioned.

Question: There have been instances in the past where Iraq has exported wheat and has been returned, now that should be an embarrassing, will the quality of exports will be improved?

Nirupama Rao That’s why, at this moment we are making sure that the technical specification and all the required specifications and parameters are fully met.

Question: Was there any investigation conducted during that Iraqi scheme?

Nirupama Rao Jawed, you will have to check this up with the Ministry of Food. But the problem did arise and to the best of my knowledge investigations were carried out in order to ensure that these situations were not repeated.

Question: The meetings of the JWG?

Nirupama Rao Well, the meetings are going on. This is the fourth meeting of the Joint Working Group on counter terrorism between India and the United States.

Question: When was the first meeting held?

Nirupama Rao The Group was set up in January, 2000. The last meeting, the third meeting was held in June 2001, and second one in November 2000 and the first one was held in February 2000. The third meeting was held in Washington D.C. The current meeting began today it is going on and it will also continue tomorrow (21st and 22nd of January, 2002). 

The US delegation consists of 13 Members, it is a multi-disciplinary delegation headed by Ambassador Francis Taylor who is the State Department’s Coordinator for counter terrorism. Among the others in the delegation from the US side is Ambassador John Craig of the National Security Council. He is in fact, has been dealing with Homeland Security which is the new department, the new agency, the new unit created after September 11, in the United States by the US President to deal with security of US based installations and counter terrorism within the United States, and then Ambassador Ted Macnamara of the State Department. He has been coordinating efforts world wide for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1373. 

The agenda for today’s meeting includes a brief overview of counter terrorism cooperation and assessment of the current situation in regard to the fight against terrorism. There would be some focus on the lists of terrorists groups of both countries. There will also be some discussions on the threat of terrorism in the extended neighbourhood including Central Asia, Indonesia, and the Philippines and there would be some discussion on cooperation in regard to the Comprehensive Convention against International Terrorism, the UN Convention which India has spearheaded – how better to coordinate their efforts, to see the passage of this Convention. And there is also to be a launch of a Joint Initiative on Cyber Terrorism which is to be led by the National Security Councils in both countries. 

This counter terrorism cooperation between India and US also is to encompass military to military cooperation on counter terrorism. This is an outcome of the discussions held during the last India-US Defence Policy Group meeting (DPG) on the 3rd and 4th December 2001. There is also a Pilot projects to be discussed on border management. 

Discussions within this Joint Working Group on counter terrorism began in 2000 by basically focusing on exchange of information in the first stages has now evolved into quite specialized cooperation for instance in such areas as Anti Terrorism training assistance, then Weapons and Mass Destruction (WMD) related terrorism, capacity building in a number of areas and even before the 11th of September, 2001 the two sides had moved towards exchange of intelligence information. Indeed after the 11th September this cooperation has become even more active and is being executed on real time basis. 

Also, the Director of the FBI Mr. Robert Muller and the Director of the Defence Intelligence Agency of the US Admiral Thomas Wilson, they are also here, their visit is not connected with the JWG on counter terrorism theirs are separate missions and they will be discussing with their Indian counterparts on bilateral cooperation in law enforcement & intelligence gathering.

Question: Inaudible

Nirupama Rao I will have to check

Question: The counterpart from Indian side

Nirupama Rao For the Director of the DIA it will be the DGMI, Lt. Gen. Lohihab.

Question: The last meeting was working on the area of Narcotics, is it continuing?

Nirupama Rao That is being continued.

Question: Who are participating in this JWG meeting?

Nirupama Rao The delegation is led by Joint Secretary (AMS) Mr. Jayant Prasad and it has representatives from the UN Division, Disarmament Division, Iran Pakistan Afghanistan Division, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Defence, and National Security Council Secretariat, among others.

Question: Could you give some details on Pilot Projects?

Nirupama Rao The Sandia Laboratories, which is based in Alamos are to do a demonstration on this. I do not have any further details.

Question: What will be the capacity building?

Nirupama Rao Capacity building means training, and generally exchange of know-how to strengthen capacity to deal with counter terrorism.

Question: Is the FBI is going to seek help from India in terms of intelligence sharing?

Nirupama Rao Specifically, I have not been able to corroborate this with my colleagues because they have been away for the meetings, I haven’t been able to check, I will check and get back to you, but I would assume that given the nature of cooperation and the fact that intelligence is being shared and India is an active constituent in this fight against terrorism, there would be cooperation between the two agencies in order to see whether we can provide any information if we have any information. But from the Indian side we have said all along that we are fully prepared to cooperate.

Question:

Nirupama Rao In this particular case I will have to check. Because I don’t have specifics on cases in which we are actually cooperating. I don’t have a dossier in front of me. But I would assume that if we do have information available about it we would be prepared to share it.

Question: What comments do you have on the news reports that expressed the meeting between Brajesh Mishra and Abdul Sattar?

Nirupama RaoI have no information I could check on that.

Question: About the meeting of the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada with EAM.

Nirupama Rao Well, he met the Home Minister this morning, he met the EAM, had talks with EAM. EAM hosted a lunch for him. He is meeting the Prime Minister this evening and would be meeting the President. Tomorrow he is scheduled to meet the Leader of the Opposition and from there he goes on to Agra. He would be spending 6 days here. His wife’s father was born in Chennai. He would be visiting Chennai also and possibly Goa. EAM mentioned today that he was honoured to receive Mr. John Manley here that it was a bilateral visit, they discussed bilateral issues including enhancement of trade. Mr. Manley mentioned that for him it was a very important visit that he had set out as one of the objectives for Canada soon after he was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in October, 2000 the improvement of relations between India and Canada. He recalled his meeting with EAM in New York in the autumn of last year. EAM was asked whether Pakistan was sending its list to match India’s list and he had mentioned that he had learnt of this through the press and not learnt through the official channel of Pakistan Foreign Office and that whatever list that would be provided by the Government of Pakistan and if any Pakistani Criminal which they said India would be having that as far as India was concerned, there was no question of India providing legal shelter to any criminal and if any list that were to come (it has not come), the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of External affairs would work double time to send back the criminals to Pakistan. Mr. Manley said terrorism has to be condemned wherever it occurs, whatever the situation may be and that any of the groups which are linked to terrorist activities including the attack on Parliament of December 13, 2001 should be identified and brought to justice and that you cannot draw any distinction among terrorists based on what you believe to be rightness of the cause which they prefer to support, and that you cannot achieve political objectives through terrorism. These were the main points.

There is a press statement also which has just come about the Middle East.

We are concerned at the renewed violence after over two weeks of calm, following President Arafat’s call on 16th December 2001. This had earlier given hope for a resumption of the process towards the implementation of the Mitchell Report and the Tenet Plan. The destruction of the Palestine Broadcasting Corporation is a set back to such efforts, in the framework of the Middle East Peace Process. India has always stood for an independent Palestine State in accordance with UN Resolutions 242 & 338 and the principle of ‘land for peace’.

We call upon all parties to continue to work towards the building of confidence so that this process can be restarted.

Question: Inaudible (about the killings in Poonch)

Nirupama Rao Any violence has to be condemned and most of all terrorist violence. As EAM mentioned, demented elements can always plan to stoke up violence here and there we have to see who is responsible for this and then draw the appropriate conclusions. We have to react after taking into account all the details.

Question: Dr. Farooq Abdullah is on record, that firing along the LOC has come down.

Nirupama Rao Well, I don’t want to contradict what the Hon’ble Chief Minister has said I think we have to see what the long term trends in this regard are, we will have to see whether this is the beginning of a long term, established trend in reduction of violence, of shelling, of infiltration. That trend is yet not discernable.