|
Israeli Foreign Minister In India To Bolster Already Strong Ties
 |
| Peres and Advani: a history of quelling resistance |
Additional Reporting by Zafarul-Islam Khan
NEW DELHI, Jan. 7 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Israeli Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres, who arrived Monday January 7, was set to meet top Indian leaders Monday at the start of a three-day working visit to India, news agencies reported.
Peres will initially hold talks with Home Minister, Lal Krishna Advani, and Foreign Minister, Jaswant Singh, foreign ministry officials said, quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP).
He will meet Tuesday Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, and Defense Minister, George Fernandes.
According to the official Indian news agency, Press Trust of India, "Security issues -- including cross-border terrorism and tension with Pakistan -- are likely to be discussed during the present visit." Israel is seeking India's active support for its terrorist policies in Palestine.
On the eve of his India visit, Peres said India is an important country in Asia, a very good friend of Israel and that Tel Aviv is seeking New Delhi's support "to advance the (Middle East) peace process," the agency reported.
Describing India as a combination of fascinating factors, the former Israeli Prime Minister said that Israel supported "full-heartedly the acceptance of India" in the United Nations Security Council.
India has recently supported the Palestinian cause and voiced concern against Israeli attacks on the supposedly Palestinian Authority (PA)-controlled areas.
Both India and Israel have had diplomatic and defense relations for the last 10 years and share similar concerns over security. Both sides are working closely on counter-resistance or what they term as counter-terrorism.
India and Israel exchanged full diplomatic ties in 1992, following Madrid Conference and the Palestinian recognition of Israel. Insignificant bilateral trade between the two countries has now shot up to over a billion dollars a year.
Both countries have since developed close ties, despite India's traditionally warm relations with Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat.
India and Israel at present have wide-range contacts on a series of issues, most importantly, military ties.
In December 2001, the Israeli daily newspaper, Ha'aretz, reported that the U.S. administration had given the green light in principle for the sale of Israeli Falcon radar planes to India.
The report said the contract involves three advance-warning radar-equipped planes and a Russian transport Ilyushin-76 plane with an ultra-sophisticated AWACS warning system, costing some 250 million dollars.
India was also considering the purchase of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVS) from Israel, an Indian defense ministry official said.
Annual bilateral trade stands at about one billion dollars, according to official figures released in New Delhi.
Iansa, a journal on strategic studies published in India, came out with a stunning report August 2001, quoting Indian defense sources as saying that "Israel is positioned to replace Russia" as India's main weapons supplier.
According to the journal, Israel is already the number two arms supplier after Russia. Deals so far signed are worth some $3 billion.
Israel doesn't publish data on the scope of weapons deals with individual countries, but the impression from the Israeli Defense Ministry is that India has become the main market for Israeli weapons systems. Sales are already in the range of $800 million a year -- about the same as sales to the U.S.
Peres's current visit is the latest in a series of high level interactions between the two countries in recent months. A high-level Israeli foreign ministry delegation was in India in December 2001 as part of the sixth annual meeting between the officials of the two countries.
Israeli Defense Ministry Director General, Amos Yaron, led a high level delegation to New Delhi in November to negotiate a number of defense deals, including the transfer of Phalcon early warning aircraft.
Yaron made it clear to his counterparts, led by Indian Defense Ministry Director General, Yogendra Narain, that Israel is ready to provide India with the latest Israeli military technology.
Israel signed a security cooperation agreement with the Indian defense ministry in 1994, two years after diplomatic relations were established.
The first major weapons deal was for two Green Pine early warning stations against ground-to-ground missiles -- a $400 million deal.
Since September 11, 2001, the U.S. suspension of its sanctions on India has opened other possibilities. One issue that keeps coming up is whether the United States will allow Israel to sell Arrow anti-ballistic missiles to India.
Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI), the main body dealing with all weapons systems sales to India, provided Barak naval missile systems for $300 million in 2000, and for about the same amount, sold India Searcher drones.
The IAI has upgraded MiG-17 aircraft for tens of millions of dollars, while naval shipyards in India are working on Devorah V-2 patrol boats designed by the IAI for the Israeli navy. Israel Military Industries has sold some $100 million in munitions to India.
The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) have expressed concern from time to time over the growing Indo-Israeli military ties. Indian analysts say that India has been frustrated by Arab support to Pakistan and lack of interest in India.
|
