EU relations with India evolving positively

She added, however, that in EU parlance, 8220;adherence8221; to the CTBT a word India has recently fondly adopted 8220;of course means signing the CTBT.8221;

Nevertheless, today8217;s annual political dialogue between the EU troika Austria as current president, UK as past and Germany as future and India, six months after New Delhi went nuclear, seemed to have already moved beyond the nuclear question.

Since the EU is India8217;s largest trading partner currently 21 billion, as well as the largestaid-donor8212;- and conversely, the Euro is coming into effect in 11 out of 15 EU states as of January 1, 19998212;- both sides sought to enlarge the scope to incorporate trade and economic issues.

8220;No matter which way we look at it, the political relationship between India and the EU should be strengthened, to reflect the dynamism of the economic relationship,8221; Ministry sources said.

New Delhi also feels that since the EU8217;s common foreign and security policy is still coming together because nation-states guard it zealously, some approach non-proliferation issues at a far more 8220;ideological8221; level, while others are more 8220;flexible and pragmatic.8221;

Sources pointed out that the EU position is still 8220;evolving8221; on India and the nuclear question. While a statement on May 25 was harsh and critical, calling India to immediately and unconditionally sign the CTBT, another statement on October 26 had changed its accent to an offer of technical assistance and export controls.

Clearly, the fact that it isAustria which holds the current presidency8212;- which needs to reach out beyond Europe8212;- and not Britain, which was president during the May nuclear tests, helped in tempering the strident rhetoric, London may have otherwise sought to indulge in.

It is believed that Derek Fatchett, UK8217;s Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, who is in Delhi for the EU talks, was read out the diplomatic version of the riot act, in his bilateral conversations with the foreign office.

The Austrian minister said the EU welcomed the ongoing dialogue between India and Pakistan, as well as New Delhi8217;s decision 8220;not to engage its eastern neighbour without naming China in an arms race.8221; On the former, she hoped that the two sub-continental neighbours would especially make progress on substantial issues like confidence-building measures.

Foreign policy analysts said the EU8217;s clear message, in this case specially to Pakistan which feels that the current dialogue has yielded no fruit, is to 8220;keep talking.Stability in the region is important and there is no alternative to dialogue.8221;