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Extradition pact with Portugal
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 11
India and Portugal today sought to strengthen bilateral ties by signing an extradition treaty and three other pacts pertaining to education, culture and science and technology. Portugal had handed over fugitive gangster Abul Salem to India in November 2005 when the two countries did not have any such arrangement.

The agreements were signed after talks between Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and Portuguese President Mr Anibal Cavaco Silva, who arrived here last evening. Dr Singh and Mr Silva discussed bilateral and international issues encompassing trade and investment, cooperation in counter terrorism and United Nations reforms. Minister of State for External Affairs, Mr Anand Sharma, and Portuguese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Mr Joao Gomes Cravinha, initialled the extradition treaty aimed at controlling trans-national crimes.

The two-year cultural cooperation agreement from 2007-09 was signed by Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Mr Badal Das, and Mr Sinonetta Luz Afonso, President of Instituto Camoes, Portugal’s ministry of foreign affairs. The other two agreements in education, language, science and technology, higher education, sports, youth and mass media for 2007-10 were signed by the Secretary in the HRD ministry, Mr R.P. Agrawal, and Mr Afonso.

The visiting President is accompanied by four ministers and nearly 70 business leaders. This is the first visit by a Portuguese President to India in the last 15 years. The country has a 70,000-strong Indian diaspora. Mr Silva held talks with President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam in the evening and also met Opposition leader Mr L.K. Advani.

Mr Silva, who used to teach economics, is widely considered a reformer and a liberal. He will address the India-Portugal Business Forum here tomorrow before leaving for Mumbai and Goa. In Panjim, Mr Silva will be the chief guest at the 19th convocation of the University of Goa. In Mumbai, the dignitary will participate in a business seminar and attend a luncheon hosted by the Mumbai Chamber of Commerce. In the country’s IT hub — Bangalore — Mr Silva will attend the 13th Partnership Summit organised by the CII and go round some IT companies.