Dalai Lama India’s honoured guest,PM tells Wen Jiabao

Asked if the plan had changed for the Dalai Lama to travel to Arunachal Pradesh,Singh said he was not aware of his travel arrangements. New Delhi has already made it clear that the Dalai Lama was free to travel anywhere in India,including Arunachal Pradesh.

Saying he had a “frank and constructive exchange of views” with his Chinese counterpart,Singh said both sides discussed all issues and agreed that existing mechanisms on bilateral cooperation should be utilised to resolve issues amicably in the spirit of strategic and cooperative partnership.

Describing the boundary issue with China as a “complex question which cannot be wished away”,Singh said Wen and he agreed that “both sides have an obligation to maintain peace and tranquility on the borders pending resolution of the boundary question… both of us agreed that we should continue and strengthen efforts to build political trust and understanding.”

Chinese border guards have been aggressively patrolling along the Line of Actual Control in recent days.

On reports of China trying to build a dam on its side of the Brahmaputra,Singh said he did raise this issue with Wen,telling him that cooperation in the area of trans-border rivers was of mutual benefit. “Premier Wen said that keeping in mind the overall friendly relations and humanitarian aspects,the Chinese side has been providing hydrological data during flood season. He said relevant discussions on trans-border river issues could be held through the expert-level mechanism that we have constituted.”

Singh said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi will have an extensive meeting with his counterpart S M Krishna when he visits Bangalore on Tuesday for the trilateral meeting of Foreign Ministers of China,Russia and India. On the issue of China evincing keen interest in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir,Singh said he did not raise the issue with Wen as Krishna would discuss the matter with Jiechi.

In New Delhi,a day before the Wen-Singh meeting,the Cabinet Committee on Security empowered the PM to take a firm stand on any contentious issue raised by Beijing so that no weak political signal goes out to the country.

Government sources said that at the meeting,Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee took objection to Beijing’s protest over Singh’s October 3 visit to Arunachal Pradesh and the Dalai Lama’s planned trip to Arunachal Pradesh.

Backed by Defence Minister A K Antony and Home Minister P Chidambaram,Mukherjee virtually overruled the view of External Affairs Minister S M Krishna and National Security Advisor M K Narayanan who were suggesting a rethink on the Dalai Lama’s proposed visit. Mukherjee was said to have told the CCS that a weak political message would go out to the Indian people if New Delhi were to agree to Beijing’s demand that the Dalai Lama should not be allowed to visit Arunachal Pradesh,a state he had already visited several times.

He also reminded the CCS about Beijing’s objection to Singh’s Arunachal visit during the Assembly elections. He said New Delhi must take a firm stand on such issues while continuing its deepening engagement with China.