It’s summer in Delhi but Bush aide feels the frost in the air

But in what amounts to more than a coincidence, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) today issued one of its rare statements on Iraq, saying that New Delhi ‘‘notes with concern the deterioration in the security situation..which has caused the violation of the sanctity of places of religious worship and monuments of great cultural significance.

‘‘We would emphasise the imperative need to respect the religious sentiments and cultural sensitivities of the people,’’ the MEA statement said.

Sources said the statement referred to the damage to the holy Shia shrine in Najaf by US soldiers last week and that it had come as a result of ‘‘pressure’’ by several MPs on the government.

Interestingly, though, the Indian statement doesn’t refer to either the attackers or the victims, preferring to steer a middle-of-the-road general reprimand of the situation.

Still, the fact that Feith, the top official at the Pentagon and a close confidante of US Defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, will only likely call on Defence minister Pranab Mukherjee, conveys the strength of Indian displeasure on the mess in Iraq.

Feith is here to participate in the sixth round of talks on the Indo-US defence policy group and would, normally, have used the occasion of his visit to at least call on select leaders in the new political establishment.

Speculation is already rife over whether missile defence, a key area in the new strategic partnership between India and the US, will be taken up during this meeting and allowed to be moved forward by the new government. Official sources said the three-day meeting would focus on counter-terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, security of sea-lanes and peace and stability in Asia.

PTI quoted sources as saying that the new government ‘‘is all for continuation of close cooperation with the US on defence ties.’’ They added: The ‘‘entire gamut of Indo-US defence relations, including talks on strategic issues, continuation and expanding joint exercises, training and acquisition of US weapons systems’’ would come up. Other substantial issues,including India’s request for hi-tech weapons system and involvement in futuristic US anti-missile programmes, with the decks cleared for this by the conclusion and signing of the master exchange agreement between the two countries in February.

The agreement, which bars either country from passing information about each other’s weapons system, is to facilitate the exchange of defence research and development information. Earlier, Washington had been denying access to New Delhi on such systems, as it did not want US weapons technology to fall into the hands of a third country.

Earlier in 2002, the two countries had signed an agreement on secuirty measures for the protection of classified military information.

India has under government-to-government sales asked the US for advanced infantry weapons for special forces, Raytheon weapon locating radars, submarine search and rescue vehicles and othe advanced systems, including P3C orions for the Navy.