India soon to join a US-led security group

As the first major step towards strengthening the strategic partnership with the US in George W Bush’s second term, India plans to start its partnership with a pilot project at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust and will gradually replicate it at other ports depending on the programme’s success.

The programme will facilitate:

• Targeting containers that pose a risk through specific intelligence and automated information.

• Pre-screening these containers at port of departure.

• Installing quick detection technology at ports of participant countries.

• Promoting use of smarter, tamper-evident containers.

While intelligence agencies and the Customs continue to have objections on allowing US Customs and Border Patrol personnel to be stationed at Indian ports, sources said, the benefits outweigh the negatives.

With over 30 of the largest seaports of the world already participating in the initiative, the argument is that Indian exporters could suffer if New Delhi delays participation. In fact, Shanghai and Shenzhen ports in China, Colombo and Dubai are some of Asian ports which are soon going be included in the list of CSI ports.

Moreover, unlike the Proliferation Security Initiative—which is politically more sensitive—the CSI has the sanction of the World Customs Organisation which through a resolution on June 28, 2002, encourages countries to develop container security programmes in line with the CSI.

The initiative calls for a co-ordinated effort to tackle the threat of containers being used by terrorists to plant a ‘‘dirty bomb’’. While the programme is a fallout of the security initiatives put in place by the US after 9/11, sources said, Indian participation will also have a positive impact on the second phase of the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership.

The decision for India to go ahead and discuss Indian participation was approved by the high-powered core group of security that comprises secretaries to ministries that make up for the Cabinet Committee on Security. While India had conveyed its intent over a month ago to the US for sending a team, matters had been put on hold as the new administration was yet to take over in Washington.

The National Security Council secretariat, sources said, has backed the idea right from the start but the intelligence agencies and the Customs had objections. A joint team of these officials also visited Hong Kong, one of the ports where CSI is operational, to witness the implementation.

While the concerns did not go away, there was a view that India could at least make avail of the technology exchange envisaged in the programme. However, the core group of security felt India should join the programme and that has resulted in a decision to send a team to the US.