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Indo-Thai talks: Call for concerted global action against terrorism

By P. S. Suryanarayana

BANGKOK Feb. 1. India and Thailand may sign a Framework Agreement by September this year on the establishment of a bilateral free trade area. This will complement the bilateral moves to enhance security-related cooperation in the four inter-related areas of extradition as also mutual legal assistance on criminal matters besides anti-narcotics campaign and the overall security

paradigm with or without a strategic dimension of the political kind.

This was disclosed by the visiting Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, L.K. Advani, at a press conference here prior to his departure for the holiday resort of Phuket on the last leg of his Thailand tour.

A joint statement said here today that the two countries had adopted the feasibility study for the free trade area. Such an area would not negate India's efforts to fashion a similar agreement with the wider Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), which includes Thailand, or with any other country in the region.

Answering questions on New Delhi's multilateral security cooperation in the Asia Pacific region, Mr. Advani said the latest reports of a naval exercise (`Milan') involving India and several other countries, including Thailand or Myanmar, should be seen in the context of the existing

arrangements. He clarified that there was no move by India for multilateral naval exercises or cooperation in the Indian Ocean area.

The statement called for "concerted international action" to combat terrorist activities, including those which "threaten the stability of the (Asia Pacific) region". Both sides "exchanged views and assessments" on other areas such as "money-laundering, currency and document counterfeiting and fraud, management of pluralistic societies, trafficking in human beings, arms and drugs". These should be seen as adding value to the basic thrust in four inter-related security areas inclusive of counter-terrorism.

The frontiers of bilateral cooperation could be extended through either diversification or enhanced exchanges that would cover biotechnology, space applications for national development, civil aviation, tourism and information technology. In this connection, "India views Thailand as a hub of South East Asia''.

The two countries agreed to help catalyse the evolution of the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), launched some time ago, and the implementation of the Asian Bond Scheme first proposed by Bangkok.

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