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India hopeful of Russian help
T.R. Ramachandran
Tribune News Service

Moscow, November 11
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrived here this evening for his annual summit meeting with President Vladimir Putin with the stalled Indo-US nuclear deal casting a shadow on Russia building four additional power reactors at Kudankulam plant in Tamil Nadu because of its international commitments as a leading member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

Even though the intent for the four additional reactors was signed in January this year when Putin was in India as the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations, it is not part of the Grandfather agreement reached between the two countries in 1988, India will cooperate with Moscow to see how it deals with the matter.

“The four reactors are not part of the original agreement which does not provide for more than two reactors,” Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon told mediapersons aboard Air-India one.

At the same time national security adviser M.K. Narayanan had no doubt that Russia will help “so that we have unrestrained nuclear commerce. We will cooperate so that Moscow is able to get the necessary exemptions from the NSG. We don’t want to put any pressure on our friend.”

Though several agreements will be signed tomorrow after the summiteers hold wide-ranging discussions encompassing energy, defence, high tech areas, space and atomic energy, both Narayanan and Menon dismissed suggestions of a “chill” in the relationship. “Chill in the relationship is very, very far fetched and does not reflect the true picture,” Menon stressed. Narayanan said that “we must set this ghost to rest.”

Russia is an important strategic partner and there have never been any wrinkle or troubles in the relationship and the leaders will discuss the entire gamut of relations as well as regional and international issues.

“The depth of the relationship is of sustained quality and we are striving for a comprehensive economic partnership,” observed Menon.

India’s seamless relationship with Russia brings to the fore the cooperation in building a fifth generation fighter aircraft as well as a multi-role transport aircraft. About the uranium enrichment programme in Siberia, the foreign secretary said no discussions have been held.

On the delay in the supply of Adm Gorshkov, the Russians have been extremely apologetic. It is a 90 per cent new aircraft carrier and the Prime Minister will impress Putin to reduce the time schedule in getting it ready.

Developments in Pak worry India
T.R. Ramachandran
Tribune News Service

Moscow, November 11
National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan made it clear today that India is worried with what is happening in Pakistan and that an unstable neighbour will lead to aggravated militancy. Referring to the Prime Minister’s statement that “we want a stable Pakistan,” Narayanan disclosed that vigil on the borders has been tightened not necessarily along the Line of Control (LOC) but with other countries as well.

He said in the last few weeks there has been an increase in militancy in Jammu and Kashmir. There have been two or three bad incidents. “We are concerned and on our guard,” Narayanan added.

Asked for his assessment of the situation in Pakistan, foreign secretary Shiv Shanker Menon said the neighbouring country was facing extremism and instability. The imposition of emergency pointed to a period of transition. It is not for India to give an assessment of the goings on in Pakistan. “We would like to carry forward the process of improvement in the ties with Pakistan over the last three-and-a-half years.”

On the disturbances in Nandigram in West Bengal, Narayanan said it is a “sensitive issue and Delhi is concerned. We hope more lives are not lost”.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is in touch with union home minister Shivraj Patil on the situation in Nandigram. The Centre will be sending units of the Central Reserve Police Force to Nandigram. Dr Singh is monitoring the situation and spoke to the Chief Minister of West Bengal in the forenoon from New Delhi before emplaning Moscow.

Narayanan said it was a matter of concern that Maoists have stepped into the area. He pointed out that at their Ninth Congress, the Maoists had stated that wherever there was an opportunity, they would go in.

Asked about his meeting with BJP leader L.K. Advani, Narayanan said AEC chairman Anil Kakodkar and he met the leader of the opposition and explained in detail the changes made in the proposed 123 agreement for operationalising the Indo-US nuclear deal.

“We assured Advani and Jaswant Singh that the 123 agreement would not affect the country’s strategic programme but enhance it. The effort was to assuage their concerns that there was nothing to fear on the strategic aspect.

Indo-Russia Defence Ties
From buyer-seller to co-producer of future weapons

New Delhi, November 11
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to Moscow will envisage upgrading the predominant buyer-seller relationship between India and Russia in the defence sector to a new level of joint partnership for co-developing state-of-the-art future weaponries.

After reports of a new chill in the bilateral ties, particularly after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov failed to meet his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee during the latter's visit to Moscow recently, Defence Minister A K Antony's October visit to Russia just after it gave a new boost to the bilateral ties.

Both countries decided to co-develop and produce the fifth generation fighter aircraft (FGFA) during Antony's visit, and it is expected that Manmohan Singh's weekend visit would further strengthen military ties. It is expected that India would hammer out a deal to acquire nuclear-powered Akula-II submarines from Russia on a lease for 10 years next week.

The deal, which could be worth over Rs 2,000 crore, ($ 508 million) would help the Indian Navy to fill the vacuum till India's indigenously developed nuclear submarines are inducted.

At present, the total cost of different acquisitions of military hardware and equipments from Russia is estimated to be around Rs 390 billion ($ 10 billion), which could rise after India accepted Russian demand of increasing escalation rate to 5 per cent from 2.8 per cent as earlier agreed between the two countries.

This is apart from the latest decision by the two countries to co-develop the FGFA by 2015, which would be equally financed by India and Russia, and it is estimated to cost approximately another $ 10 billion.

The next phase of bilateral defence ties, which many term as a 'time-tested' one, would focus on joint development and manufacture of new defence equipments that would include multi-role transport aircraft and a new version of Brahmos cruise missile.

With India's rapid development of indigenous manufacturing industries and a new defence procurement policy already giving emphasis on enhanced offsets, New Delhi wants to get rid of 'one of the largest defence equipment buyer' tag, and wants to indigenously as well as jointly develop technologies with other countries, particularly with Russia since the bilateral defence ties date over three decades.

New Delhi is also persuading Moscow to induct the jointly developed supersonic cruise missile Brahmos. India has been a long-time buyer of military hardware from Moscow. A return gesture from Russia would go a long way in strengthening defence cooperation between the two countries.

At present, Russia is legally bound to induct only those weapon systems that have been indigenously developed by them, and as Brahmos is a joint venture of India and Russia so they have been unable to induct them.

However, recent experience on acquisition of defence equipment from Russia has not been very smooth. Delays, sometimes indefinite, have emerged out as a stumbling block in the growing defence ties. The classic case being the acquisition of 44,570-tonne aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov.

The aircraft carrier was initially supposed to join the Indian Navy by August 2008, but 'unforeseen problems' has cast a doubt that Russia would be able to stick to its deadline, since reports from Moscow suggest that lots of repairing work still remains to be done.

A December 2000 contract for licence production of 140 SU-30 MKI aircraft also exists, but the long- standing discussion for increasing escalation rate had put a pause on it. India is also set to acquire T-90S Main-Battle Tanks (MBTs) from Russia to fill the gap in its artillery due to the delay in the induction of indigenously developed MBT Arjun. — ANI