Homebound DPM

For someone who8217;s seeking to assert himself at the centre of the BJP, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani seems to be particularly shy abo...

For someone who8217;s seeking to assert himself at the centre of the BJP, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani seems to be particularly shy about travelling abroad. First, some months ago, he cancelled his trip to the US, where he was all set to unveil a bust of Sardar Patel in New Jersey.

Then, in early November, he turned down a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow ostensibly because PM Vajpayee was travelling to Laos and Cambodia at the exact time and 8216;8216;someone needed to be in charge8217;8217; in Delhi.

So what was the reason for this undiplomatic derring-do? Turns out, Advani had packed bag and baggage for Moscow and St Petersburg in mid-October8212;and even collected a group of journalists to report the story8212;when word came that Putin would be unable to receive him because he was busy with the King of Spain.

Having announced the visit without a confirmation from Moscow about Putin8217;s availability, the Home ministry was forced to cancel it. Days later, with both Moscow and New Delhi pushing hard, a confirmed appointment in early November was first obtained from Putin. This time, it was Advani8217;s turn to cry off.

Extra Hot Mexican

Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda seemed to have decided upon a charm offensive when he landed in New Delhi over the weekend. After all, Mexico8217;s permanent representative to the UN had, in the late summer, voiced the opinion that the Security Council should brief all members of the Security Council8212;of which Mexico is currently a non-permanent member8212;on the eyeball-to-eyeball situation on the India-Pakistan border.

Kashmir, he insisted, was the underlying cause of the problem. The Mexican diplomat went further and attempted to call an informal meeting of UN ambassadors outside the Security Council, called the 8216;8216;Arria group.8217;8217;

Which is when India8217;s representative to the UN Vijay Nambiar got into the act and persuaded his colleagues at the 8216;8216;Arria8217;8217; that there was no need for such a meeting at all. It didn8217;t take place. Still, that didn8217;t stop the MEA from being absolutely furious about the Mexican attempt.

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Castaneda knew he had to make amends. He did, even disavowing the words of his own diplomat; and finally Yashwant Sinha relented.

Russian N-intrigue

Russia8217;s supply of nuclear fuel to the unsafeguarded Tarapur civilian nuclear reactor last year must be one of the most interesting stories of all time. Like so much else in the bilateral relationship, at the time the story began8212;during Putin8217;s visit to New Delhi two years ago8212;as well as when it actually took place, it was completely under wraps.

Moscow took huge criticism from the Nuclear Suppliers Group when it told the NSG it was going to supply 8216;8216;nuclear pellets8217;8217; to Tarapur in the interest of the safety of the reactor. The NSG was much too stunned to point out that this actually constituted a violation of its norms since India was not a NPT signatory.

By the time the next meeting took place, NSG members were all geared up to take Moscow apart8212;except, Russian officials shrugged their shoulders: the Indian deliveries had already taken place.

Khemka On Top

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At long last, there8217;s an Indian rubbing shoulders with the creme de la creme of Russia8217;s rich and powerful. Nand Khemka, chairman and founder of the Sun Group, was only yesterday appointed a member of Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov8217;s elite Foreign Investment Advisory Council.

The world8217;s top 20 corporates are members of the FIAC, which seeks to enhance Russia8217;s appeal to foreign investors. Khemka, who began to do business with the former Soviet Union in 1958, stayed with the region even after the empire broke up in end-1991. His company today controls 20 of Russia8217;s breweries.