Terror, trade share agenda

At a meeting between External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, presently in Moscow, and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov today, India...

At a meeting between External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha, presently in Moscow, and Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov today, India emphasised the need for Indo-Russian economic ties to expand beyond military hardware and civilian nuclear cooperation.

Taking serious view of the existing trade cooperation — hovering at a dismal $1.5 billion — both leaders agreed to provide a new thrust to trade and investment. They also decided to expedite the setting up of a task force for utilising rupee debt funds to invest in joint projects.

Advani welcomes ban on JeM

Mangalore: THE Government has welcomed Pakistan’s decision of banning Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar’s entry into PoK, albeit a little cautiously. Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani today said if the ban is ‘‘an index of beginning of a change in Pakistan’s attitude towards cross-border terrorism, it is welcome.’’
He also admitted that India was not bothered about Pakistan Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali’s assertion that there was no change in Pakistan’s approach towards Kashmir. In Mangalore at the ceremony to receive the first shipment of crude oil from Sudan at Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited, Advani said: ‘‘What India is keen about is a change in Pakistan’s attitude to cross-border terrorism.’’
However, there was scepticism in some quarters about Pakistan’s motivation to ban Ahar’s entry into PoK. It could have been the outcome of the terrorist attack in Riyadh where about 10 US citizens were also killed, sources said.
Accepting the ground situation that it was not realistic for India to think that Pakistan will agree to it’s stand on J-K, Advani said it should abandon cross-border terrorism as instrument of state policy. ‘‘That has been our insistence for past several years,’’ he said. Bhavna Vij-Aurora

According to South Block officials, it was conveyed to Moscow that giving fillip to trade and investment must be complimented with efforts to align this exchange to market determined practices.

Some of the key sectors identified for immediate attention by Sinha, during his interactions with Kasyanov and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexie Kudrin, were the setting up of physical and financial infrastructure for trade to gain ground.

Sinha stressed the need to improve transport links from the Russian Federation, across Central Asian Republics and into the warmer ports of West Asia, which have to be coupled with faster clearance of goods and opening up of the banking sector for broader exchange.

Sinha’s views were shared by Kasyanov who assured him of Russia’s ‘‘full understanding and support’’ towards creating a conducive environment for growth of economic and commercial ties.

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The two countries also vowed to intensify the fight against international terrorism. In his opening remarks at the talks with his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov, Sinha said: ‘‘Russia and India have been together in the fight against international terrorism.’’