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India, Brazil sign pact on defense ties

IRNA

New Delhi, Dec 2, IRNA -- India and Brazil signed an agreement on 
defense cooperation Monday evening following delegation level talks 
and a meeting earlier in the day between Indian Defense Minister 
George Fernandes, and his Brazilian counterpart, Jose Vieges Filho. 
According to local press reports, the agreement lays special 
emphasis on cooperation in the aeronautical and defense fields, 
including shipbuilding. 
During the delegation level talks, it was decided to set up a 
working group or mechanism, wherein concrete proposals on the defense 
industry and military-to-military cooperation would be formulated. 
Other proposals that were discussed were jungle warfare, jungle 
survival training and integrated air defense management. 
Brazil has a well-developed aeronautical and defense industry and 
a well-established air defense surveillance system. 
Cooperation is being visualized in co-production and 
co-development in the area of aeronautics, shipbuilding systems and 
sub-systems such as software, avionics and ordnance. 
During the talks, Fernandes referred to the indigenous efforts in 
developing the light combat aircraft, the advanced light helicopter 
and the advanced jet trainer. He invited Brazil to participate in the 
coming Defense Expo in February 2004. 
Political barriers have dogged the two countries` relations in 
the past. 
However, the meeting between the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio 
Lula da Silva, and Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the 
G-8 summit this year, followed by the visits of the Indian external 
affairs and defense ministers to Brazil have helped considerably 
thaw bilateral relations. 
The Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and Chief of the 
Naval Staff, Madhvendra Singh, the Chief of the Air Staff, S. 
Krishnaswamy, and the Deputy Army Chief, J.B.S. Yadav, also called 
on Filho. 
The Brazilian minister, who arrived on Sunday, is slated to meet 
Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani on Tuesday. 
/BH/212 
End