M A I N   N E W S

RUSSIAN DIARY
Raj Kapoor hits at Kremlin banquet
Hari Jaisingh

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s banquet for Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in the Kremlin yesterday was a gala affair. It was held in a gold-plated hall renovated recently. The President’s orchestra was in attendance regaling the assemblage to some lilting old Hindi numbers from films like “Howrah Bridge” and Raj Kapoor’s “Shri 420” and “Awara”. The late Raj Kapoor still has a following in Russia and the Central Asian countries for his role as an innocent and loveable tramp. The orchestra had the invitees tapping their feet to old-time favourites like “Mud mud ke na dekh, mud mud ke...” and “Mera joota hai Japani....”

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The dinner was an elaborate affair with Russian specialities like Rasstegai-pie with salmon, fresh caviar, lamb breast, slavic style soup and trout with vegetables. The vegetarians had to make do with vegetables, mushrooms, raspberry ice-cream, fruit and, of course, coffee or tea.

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India and Russia believe that the response to the present threats and challenges to security in Asia-Pacific region, including the escalation of terrorist acts, violent forms of extremism and separatism, should be sought through the consolidation of efforts of all the states concerned. The importance of the work within the ASEAN forum for promoting trust in the political and military sphere with future application of preventive diplomacy methods was emphasised. India and the Russian Federation expressed their mutual readiness to further enhance constructive interaction with the countries of the Asia Pacific region in the bilateral and multilateral formats in the interests of stability and security in this vast region.

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Mr Vajpayee and Mr Putin shared their concerns about the developments in West Asia continuing to pass through a crisis. They spoke in favour of adoption of urgent measures to resume Israeli-Palestinian dialogue on the basis of the Mitchell plan. Both leaders expressed their conviction that there existed no alternative to the peace process in West Asia and declared the need to ensure a just, lasting and comprehensive peace on the basis of the Madrid principles, and, first and foremost, the relevant United Nations Resolutions and the “land for peace” principle.

Kashmir to figure in PM-Bush talks

Washington, November 7
The USA hopes to move Indo-US relations forward “across the board” during Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s visit that would focus on the issue of global terrorism as well as situation in Afghanistan and post-conflict set up there.

Mr Vajpayee, who is visiting the USA on a working visit at the invitation of President George W. Bush will hold wide-ranging talks with him on November 9 during which the two leaders are expected to express the firm resolve to eliminate terrorism not only in Afghanistan but elsewhere too in the on-going global campaign against the scourge.

Giving an overview on how the USA is looking forward the first Vajpayee-Bush summit, a top American official said the President “hopes to move Indo-US relations forward across the board” at the talks though “counter-terrorism today is the immediate imperative.”

The events of September 11 terror strikes in the USA have brought into brutal focus the danger posed by terrorism “to all of us,” Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christian Rocca told reporters on the eve of the Prime Minister’s visit.

She said the Kashmir issue would figure during the summit talks between President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee on Friday even as it favoured a sustained dialogue between New Delhi and Islamabad. PTI