India briefs France on Agra summit

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 1. India has extensively briefed France on the Agra summit as part of its effort to convey its views on the Indo-Pak. talks to the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

India's views were spelled out by the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, during talks with the special envoy of the French Prime Minister, Mr. Gerard Errera. Mr. Errera is in India to participate in the seventh round of the Indo- French strategic dialogue. The dialogue gives overall policy directions to the rapidly evolving Indo-French relationship. Mr. Errera later in the evening called on the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee.

France is the second U.N. Security Council member after the U.S. to be briefed by India on the Agra summit beyond the level of ambassadors. India, recently, expressed its views on the Agra dialogue during talks with the visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, Ms. Christina Rocca. The Agra summit had also featured during the first-ever-visit to India by the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Henry Shelton.

India, during the talks, acknowledged the key role played by France in drawing New Delhi closer to the European Union. Like the U.S, Japan and China, India too participated in a separate dialogue with the E.U.

Both the sides agreed that the Ballistic Missile Defences (BMD) proposal will change the architecture of international security. Given its global dimensions, they decided to intensify their dialogue on this subject. Discussions on the BMD also led to talks on reappraising the relevance of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) to curb proliferation of missiles which are capable of causing mass destruction.

On Afghanistan, the two countries agreed that the Taliban regime there posed a threat to regional stability. They decided to consult each other on ways to bring back stability to Afghanistan.

According to the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, the first meeting of the newly formed Indo- French Joint Working Group (JWG) on terrorism will take place in Paris in the first half of September. These talks are also likely to bring Afghanistan into focus.

The next few months are expected to see a flurry of exchanges between India and France. The External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh is visiting Paris soon, while four senior French Ministers are visiting New Delhi in the near future.

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