India calls for preserving Iraq`s territorial integrity
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
New Delhi, Feb 23, IRNA -- India on Monday reiterated that territorial integrity of Iraq must be preserved at all cost and it must be taken care that disruptive forces within the country do not disrupt the peace process. According to an IRNA reporter, R M Abhayankar, secretary of India`s Ministry of External Affairs while speaking at a session on `Geopolitical Overview` at the Third Asia Pacific Executive Forum (APEF), which kick off Sunday, said that it will no longer be possible to suppress democracy in Iraq and any process that is finally put in place will have to be seen by Iraqis as transparent and not imposed. Outlining other key roadmap for Iraq, he said that any process that is finally put in place in Iraq will have to be constitutional, which will guarantee minority political rights. Abhayankar in the three-day forum organized jointly by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and East-West Center, USA here at Hotel Taj Palace announced that India had already committed dlrs 30 million for the reconstruction of Iraq and are also training 20 young Iraqi diplomats as part of the process of upgrading their human resources. Terrorism has been an important plank for India`s foreign policy projections, Abhayankar said, and commented that the war on terror had two consequences. Firstly, there was now a new recognition that terror is a global phenomenon and secondly, there is an acceptance that India was committed to non-proliferation despite India`s nuclear capabilities. On countering terrorism, he said that India have been able to use deportation as a means to counter terrorism and remarked that there was an effort by the Government to promote extradition and finalize legal frame works with other countries to counter terrorism. Geo-politically, another important area in terms of issue is energy and energy routes, he said. Abhayankar said that demand for energy in India was growing and there is an intention to substitute with gas, for which India was looking at partners. He said that arrangements are already on with Sudan and Siberia, and was also looking at hydrocarbon options with Kazakhstan. However, security of supply remains a key issue, he said. Finally, he said that there is a perceptible wind of change in South Asia and the Indian Premier Atal Bihari Vajpayee`s visit to Islamabad has restarted the dialogue process. However, he cautioned that one will have to proceed with utmost caution and dialogues can be taken forward only if hostility and violence stopped. Abhayankar also commented that India was engaging with the rest of the world as never before and cited the recent developments with ASEAN as an example. He said that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Sri Lanka had worked as a catalyst for formulating the FTA with Thailand and ASEAN. Defense cooperation with Singapore was also an important development, he concluded. Addressing the delegates, Prof C Raja Mohan, South Asian Studies Division, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, said that there were two very important changes taking place in the Indian mindset self-confidence that India can successfully globalize; and satisfaction in the kind of gains India has made in the foreign policy after the nuclear tests in Pokhran, 1998. He said that the biggest single change happening in the sub- continent is the prospect of undoing the economic partition that took place in 1947. He said that as a process of globalization, the countries are opening up their markets, as a result of which there is a perceptible economic integration within the countries. Prof Raja Mohan also said that there was a change in the India- China relationship. Finally, he said, there is a stable relationship after 40 long years because of economic integration. Prof Raja Mohan commented that as India and China cooperate, the impact if it in the region will be huge. Dissidence of integration will take a back seat in the face of the might of two economies. There is also an urgency to solve the border disputes, he concluded. Underlying India`s `look east policy`, he said that India is trying to reconnect with the East, which is now in the second phase of `look East policy`, with signing of the FTA with ASEAN and Thailand. However, he said that as India looks east, there is a new dimension -- `look West policy`, creating corridors of transportation and energy. Muthiah Alagappa, director, East West Center, Washington, said that Asia faces security challenges but the dominant trend is that of peace across the region. He attributed Asian stability due to the consolidation of Asia States and persistence focus on economic development and integration. He said that as far as South Asia was concerned, India had to play a dominant role. 2160/AH/210 End
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