The Hindu : Powell calls up Sinha

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jan 05, 2003

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Powell calls up Sinha

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI Jan. 4. The U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, have reviewed bilateral relations and exchanged views on the current volatile international situation.

Mr. Sinha is among the few Foreign Ministers of the world with whom Gen. Powell regularly keeps in touch over the telephone.

The conversation on Friday night was ``intensive'' and touched on a number of issues, including the developments in Iraq and North Korea, a Foreign Office spokesman said here today.

On Iraq, Gen. Powell emphasised that the U.S. objective remained the disarmament of the nation, and Mr. Sinha expressed his hopes for a peaceful resolution of the crisis, the spokesman said. On the bilateral front, Gen. Powell expressed satisfaction with the talks between the National Security Adviser, Brajesh Mishra, and senior officials of the Bush administration last month in Washington.

Mr. Mishra got a strong political commitment from the Bush administration to accelerate high technology transfers to India as part of an effort to boost cooperation between the two countries.

High-level consultations between the two countries will continue when Richard Haass, Director of Policy Planning in the U.S. State Department, arrives here over the weekend. Mr. Haass will hold talks with the Foreign Secretary, Kanwal Sibal, and call on Mr. Sinha and Mr. Mishra.

The other scheduled interaction includes an important dialogue later this month between senior officials of the two countries on issues relating to missile defence.

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