Mishra upbeat on new equation with Indonesia

By Amit Baruah

BALI, JAN. 12. The Prime Minister, Mr. A. B. Vajpayee, arrived in the picturesque island of Bali today for a three-day holiday, at the end of his formal meetings with the Indonesian leadership.

In yet another departure from protocol, the Indonesian Vice- President, Ms. Megawati Sukarnoputri, came to see him off at the Jakarta airport. The Prime Minister was received at Denpasar airport, Bali, by the provincial Governor, Mr. Dewa Made Bartha.

Giving an assessment of the Indonesian visit, the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, told reporters that the visit had been ``very good, very friendly.''

On the recent statements of the Indonesian leaders on a permanent seat for India on the United Nations Security Council, Mr. Mishra said Jakarta was ``leaning towards supporting India.'' Sounding upbeat about the new India-Indonesia equation, he said Ms. Sukarnoputri would be visiting India in April. The President, Mr. Abdurrahman Wahid, would also be coming to India in the second half of 2001 and would be conferred with an honorary degree by the Vishwa Bharati.

Mr. Mishra maintained there was a convergence of views between the two countries on various international and regional issues. Pointing out that India had strongly endorsed the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Indonesia, the Principal Secretary was hopeful that the five agreements signed between the two countries, including the one in the defence field, would be implemented in the next few months.

Indonesia was interested in the purchase of naval craft from India. When asked about the reasons for the defence arrangement, Mr. Mishra said perhaps this opportunity was not available earlier in India. The idea was to push the bilateral relationship to a level that had never been seen before.

Asked to comment on the remarks of the Indonesian Defence Minister, Mr. Mahfud M.D, on a possible defence pact between India, Indonesia, China and Russia, he said the idea did not come up for discussion. Refusing to be drawn into commenting on India's view on such an arrangement, he said he preferred not to answer a hypothetical question.

The Prime Minister and his delegation are scheduled to return to New Delhi on Sunday.

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