Now, MEA derails a Track II mission

On the eve of the February 6-7 conference, though, Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal is believed to have advised both Shourie and Joshi against participation. He argued that at a time when the US-led war effort against Iraq had created a divide in the Western world, for New Delhi to host a conference with Jewish and right-wing American intellectuals would send the ‘‘wrong messsage’’ both at home and in the Arab world.

Never mind that the Arab world, analysts here said, was in fact quietly lining up to signal support to the US for its anti-Saddam Hussein crusade. That nations, from Oman in the outer reaches of the Gulf to states like Egypt and Saudi Arabia on the frontline, were already prepared to accept the inevitability of a US-led war in the region, the analysts added.

So when the JINSA group landed in New Delhi on the eve of the conference, they found that their only appointment was with the Foreign Secretary. With a little help from friends in high places, they ended up separately meeting President Abdul Kalam, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, HRD minister Joshi, the Shankaracharya of Kanchi and Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission K C Pant.

Notwithstanding the MEA’s coquettishness, the conference itself — with its declared emphasis on security, military and defence cooperation between India, Israel and the US, especially the acknowledgement by all three sides that China was a ‘‘threat’’ — was attended by nine serving members of the armed forces as well as officials from the Cabinet Secretariat.

What happened after conference hours was even more interesting. Former Mossad chief Shabtai Savit is said to have had two lengthy discussions with Indian intelligence officials. Other Israeli participants were Uzi Dayan, a former national security adviser and nephew of the more famous Moshe Dayan, and Yoram Hessel, a former Mossad station chief in Washington.

The MEA’s abundant caution, sources said, was due to the fact that New Delhi in all its public statements on Iraq had persisted with giving the UN, rather than the US, the right to decide the process of conflict.

But conference organisers argued that the high-powered non-official meeting, held for the first time ever, was actually united in its belief that ‘‘the war against terror can only be fought with Muslims on your side. That the worst enemy of Islam are both Wahabbism and Khomeinism,’’ organiser Monu Nalapat said.