Foreign Affairs

Sri Lanka, India differ on SAARC meeting India and Sri Lanka persist with their oddly, prickly relationship. A proposal from Colombo it remains SAARC chairman to host the annual SAARC Foreign Ministers8217; meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York an annual affair was quickly shot down by New Delhi, since the government continues to be in no mood to have political-level meetings with Gen. Musharraf8217;s representatives. Colombo, meanwhile, grateful for Islamabad8217;s help Pakistan has sold it large quantities of ammunition in its war against the LTTE, insists that both India and Pakistan are its friends. But since SAARC works on the principle of unanimity, the Foreign Ministers8217; meeting this year has met the same fate as did the SAARC summit last year. The summit was to have been held in Nepal in October. But after the coup in Islamabad, New Delhi didn8217;t want to give the General the opportunity to grandstand across the regional canvas.

Vajpayee in New York
More and more, it looks as if the PM8217;s tour to New York will focus on doctors8217; consultations for his knee. Apart from his speech at the UN summit on September 8 and the 10,000-strong NRI gathering at Staten Island, Vajpayee is unlikely to attend any other major function. He may also have to forego his bilaterals with most other heads of government as a result of this rescheduling, since he reaches only on the evening of September 7 and the summit winds up the next day. Pity, since requests had been made and received from a number of them, including China, Russia, Britain and France.

The lively IFS
Not for nothing is the high-profile Foreign Service such a lively organisation. A few don8217;t even mind going against the grain. For example, former foreign secretary M.K. Rasgotra, who during a recent visit to Lahore and Islamabad to participate in seminars organised by the Pakistan-India Forum for Peace amp; Democracy, along with some other ex-IFS officers did not hesitate to speak his mind on the subject of a permanent seat for India on an expanded Security Council. Rasgotra confirmed to The Indian Express that he told the seminar that India should not run after such a seat, since the Security Council is a useless body, it has never been able to stop any wars and being on it is no great privilege. Rasgotra said, 8220;When India becomes strong, the seat will be offered but even then I dont think we should accept it.8221; His comments have got the MEA into a real tizz because the current foreign policy on the subject is exactly the opposite.

Bleach and Russians
Peter Bleach, the man who couldn8217;t get out of Calcutta jail he is the remaining accused in the Purulia arms-dropping case because he was British and not Russian, is certainly the focus of a number of stories as British Home Secretary Jack Straw comes visiting next week. The five Russian pilots in with Straw for the last 5 years got out recently after the President pardoned them. Back home, they are said to remember Bleach with fondness: he taught them English during those long hours in jail.