Democracy footnote to Delhi-Yangon script

In December last year, on the margins of the East Asia Summit at Kuala Lumpur, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urged his Myanmarese counterpart Soe Win to release pro-democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi. But while favouring this, India had made it clear that it was not rendering any 8216;8216;advice8217;8217; on the issue, the Myanmar government knew best how to proceed.

Kalam, sources said, will maintain the same stand given that India feels it is in Yangon8217;s interest to move towards democracy. The issue also figured in discussions between Singh and US President George Bush, where India also conveyed that it needs to maintain friendly relations with Myanmar, given the long border the two countries share.

The President will also set into motion a project through which Yangon will have access to Indian remote sensing satellites. A network of stations is being planned in Myanmar that will allow the Indian Space Research Organisation enlarge its footprint in the region.