Vajpayee arrives in Bali

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee arrived in Bali on Monday on a three-day visit to attend an ASEAN Summit.

India is likely to sign three key agreements with ASEAN for cooperation in combating terrorism and boosting economic
linkages.

The prime minister was accorded a red-carpet welcome on his arrival.

Vajpayee is accompanied by External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra.

He is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart, Wen Jiabao, and Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri on the sidelines of the October 8 summit.

This would be Vajpayee's second meeting with the Chinese leader in three months. The prime minister is also expected to hold several other bilateral meetings with leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations.

The issue of terrorism, the situation in Iraq, and the restructuring of the United Nations would be high on the agenda of Vajpayee's bilateral parleys.

According a fresh impetus to New Delhi's 'Look East' policy, a joint declaration against terrorism, a framework agreement on comprehensive economic cooperation leading, ultimately, to an ASEAN-India free trade area in ten years, and India's accession to the ASEAN Treaty on Amity and Cooperation in South East Asia would be signed with the ten-nation grouping during Vajpayee's stay in this Indonesian resort city.

ASEAN comprises of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Brunei and Laos.

In the second leg of his two-nation tour, the prime minister will fly to Bangkok on October 8. He will hold wide-ranging talks with his Thai counterpart Thaksin Shinawatra on a host of issues, including the fight against terrorism, UN reforms and other issues of mutual interest.

The Thai leader has visited India twice.

Law Minister Arun Jaitley is expected to join the prime minister's delegation in Bangkok.

Thailand is attaching great significance to Vajpayee's four-day visit, the first by an Indian prime minister in ten years.

Strengthening bilateral ties, India and Thailand will sign five accords, including those on cooperation in agricultural science, tourism and biotechnology.

The two sides will also ink a framework agreement to usher in a free trade accord.

Vajpayee will also address a special session of the Thai parliament, the first-ever by any foreign leader.

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Association for Southeast Asian Nations