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Pak terrorism to top Vedrine visit agenda

Ranvir Nayar in Paris

The dangerous sharp increase in Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and attacks on Indian security forces in Jammu and Kashmir will figure high on the agenda when French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine visits New Delhi on a two-day visit next month. rediff.com has learnt that it was only on January 14 that France finally communicated to India that Vedrine would like to visit India in the middle of February. The news of the visit will not be made public for at least another three weeks.

The visit is being treated by both the sides as extremely crucial for further strengthening bilateral ties. In terms of political significance, Vedrine will be the most important French visitor to India since the visit of President Jacques Chirac to India in January 1998. Both India and France are keen to ensure that the visit is properly utilised for bringing the two countries closer. Besides meeting his counterpart Jaswant Singh, Vedrine is also likely to call on Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Though there are several bilateral issues on the agenda, India is certain to bring the French up to date about the developments in Kashmir and once again prove the extent of Pakistani involvement in fomenting cross-border terrorism. India will also brief France about the slump in its bilateral relationship with Pakistan, especially since the military coup in October and the recent incident of the hijack of an Indian Airlines aircraft.

Sino-Indian relations, as well as the relations between India and the Taleban, especially the role played by the Afghan government in resolving the hijacking, will also figure in the agenda.

For its part, France is expected to brief India about the developments in Europe, post the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the European efforts to develop a common foreign and security policy and the current developments in Kosovo.

The two sides will also discuss the situation arising from the collapse of the Seatle Ministerial Conference and its impact on the World Trade Organisation, as well as issues of multipolarity, the expansion and reform of the United Nations Security Council and the impact of the rejection of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty by the United States Senate.

On bilateral issues, the two sides will look for ways to intensify a relationship that has already come a long way in the last two years. The two ministers will take stock of the on-going bilateral security dialogue as well as the upcoming meeting of the Indo-French Forum and meeting of the High Committee on Defence.

Vedrine and Singh will also discuss bilateral defence ties, which have received a boost since the visit of Defence Minister George Fernandes to France early last year. The navies of the two countries are likely to hold joint exercises in India soon.

The two ministers will also discuss economic relations, which remain the weakest link in the chain. Though the French investments in India in 1999 jumped sharply to new record, significantly higher levels, France still lags behind most other industrialised countries. The two sides will discuss ways of encouraging more French investments in India.

France will also communicate to India its desire to see a European Union summit meeting with India during its presidency of the EU, which starts in July this year.

The dialogue between India and France is expected to be extremely friendly and smooth since Vedrine has aired on a number of occasions his beliefs about the importance of India as a pole in the emerging multi-polar world. His views on a number of issues dividing the developed world and the developing countries have also been viewed as being sympathetic to the developing countries. Hence observers say the two ministers should hit it off in their second meeting -- they first met during Jaswant Singh's visit to France in April 1999.

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