US embassy cable - 04NEWDELHI8192

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 NEW DELHI 008192 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL, KNNP, TSPA, MY, LO, KS, PK, BG, BM, CE, NP, IN, GOI 
SUBJECT: MEA STATEMENTS AND BRIEFINGS: MALAYSIA, SLOVAKIA, 
KOREA, NEIGHBORS 
 
1.  Summary:  This is another of our periodic messages 
summarizing public statements by MEA Spokesman Navtej Sarna 
and other MEA officials.  Here we report Malaysian Prime 
Minister Badawi's and Slovak President Gasparovic's visits 
to India, Foreign Minister Natwar Singh's trip to South 
Korea and the December 21 meeting of the Parliamentary 
Consultative Committee on External Affairs.  End Summary 
 
Premier Badawi visits India 
--------------------------- 
 
2.  From December 20-25 Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah 
Badawi visited India.  The trip resulted in business 
agreements on IT, biotechnology and satellite systems.  On 
December 21, the GOI announced a deal between the Indian 
Space Research Organization's (ISRO) Antrix Corporation and 
MEASAT Global to form a joint venture.  The two companies 
plan to pool their capacity to create a "satellite 
neighborhood."  PM Badawi also traveled to Bangalore, which 
included a stop at Hindustan Aeronautics, Ltd. (HAL).  The 
MEA emphasized Malaysia's ASEAN membership, noting that the 
country is India's largest trading partner in the 
association. 
 
Slovak President Visits India 
----------------------------- 
 
3.  President Ivan Gasparovic paid a five-day visit to India 
from December 11, during which the two countries signed an 
Economic Cooperation Agreement.  While not explicitly 
indicating Slovakian support for India's objective of 
obtaining a permanent seat on the UNSC, the MEA announced 
that Gasparovic was "of the view that India's permanent 
presence.in an expanded UN Security Council would give it 
greater legitimacy and enhance its effectiveness." 
 
Neighborhood Review 
------------------- 
 
4.  On December 21 FM Singh met the Parliament's External 
Affairs Consultative Committee to review India's relations 
with the SAARC member countries and Burma.  According to MEA 
Spokesman Sarna, the discussion also addressed New Delhi's 
plan for the January 2005 SAARC Summit in Dhaka. 
 
--Nepal: there is a need to improve infrastructure along the 
border, including an integrated system of checkposts, the 
Maoists are a "shared security concern," and discussions are 
ongoing for extradition and mutual legal assistance 
treaties. 
 
--Bhutan: the Chukha and Kurichu power projects and the 1020 
MW Tala Hydron project should be completed shortly, and the 
Bhutanese King will be the Chief Guest for Republic Day on 
January 26, 2005. 
 
--Bangladesh: the GOI would like the BDG to address New 
Delhi's security concerns, and increasingly, Indian 
businesses are interested in investing in Bangladesh. 
 
--Burma: the country has "direct bearing" on security and 
development in India's Northeast, and the GOI will pursue 
"constructive engagement" with Rangoon.  Burma is an 
important link between India and ASEAN. 
 
--Sri Lanka: the economic relationship is a "model" among 
India's neighbors and Colombo supports India for a permanent 
UNSC seat. 
 
--Pakistan: the atmosphere has improved and New Delhi will 
follow a "conscious people-centric" policy which will lead 
to an improved understanding of India's position. 
 
FM Singh in Seoul 
----------------- 
 
5. December 13-16 FM Singh traveled to Korea to discuss the 
bilateral security dialogue, which will begin in January 
2005, and to finalize an MOU on defense cooperation. 
According to the MEA, Korean officials "commended the Indian 
initiative on the vision of an Asian Economic Community." 
 
6.  The MEA's Sarna noted that media reports suggesting that 
while in Seoul the Foreign Minister had called India's 1998 
nuclear test "regrettable," were a distortion of the facts. 
The Spokesman emphasized that FM Singh had said that the 
1998 test was the previous government's decision and that 
although India is not a party to the NPT, which is 
discriminatory, those countries that are should honor their 
commitments. 
 
MULFORD 
 
NNNN 
 



End Cable Text 
 
Myrta Browne  01/04/2005 12:28:19 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Myrta Browne 
 
 
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