Blair Arrives In India To Talk Terror, Bilateral Ties

Blair arrived here in his capacity as President of the Council of the European Union accompanied by President of the European Commission Jose Manuel Barroso, EU Secretary-General and High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero Waldner and EU Commissioner for Trade Peter Mandelson. "The India-UK Summit follows the day after the two leaders would meet for the 6th India-EU Summit, where Blair would be leading the EU delegation," top officials said. The UK — that holds the Presidency of the EU for the second half of 2005 — is keen on using the visit to strengthen bilateral ties. Blair's high-level delegation includes Secretary of State for Trade and Industry Alan Johnson and Minister of State for Trade responsible for Trade Policy and Foreign Affairs Dr Ian Pearson. According to officials, one of the most important outcomes of the Indo-EU Summit would be the endorsement by India and the EU of a Joint Action Plan (JAP), a first such plan that New Delhi would enact with any of its partners. The two sides will also issue a Political Declaration on the India-EU Strategic Partnership. The two prime ministers, besdies Barroso, would address the Special Plenary Session of the summit. "The political declaration sums up the salient features of what India wishes to achieve together as Strategic Partners," said officials. India was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the (then) EEC in 1963. The 1994 cooperation agreement between the two took bilateral relations beyond trade and economic cooperation. Together with the Joint Political Statement signed in 1993 it opened the way for annual ministerial meetings and a broad political dialogue. The Summit at The Hague in November 2004 endorsed the EU's proposal to upgrade its relationship with India to a 'Strategic Partnership'. The EU has strategic partnerships with only five other countries — US, Canada, Russia, Japan and China. Officials said India is seen by the EU as a "regional and global leader engaging increasingly on equal terms with other world powers". "This Summit would clearly provide the necessary framework for deeper cooperation and engagement over a range of interactions, as envisaged by the Strategic Partnership launched at The Hague," they said. "India and the EU would also be intensifying their interactions in promoting effective multilateralism, strengthening UN peacekeeping and peace-building as well as establishing an EU-India security dialogue on global and regional security issues, disarmament and non-proliferation," said officials. "A major part of JAP is devoted to intensifying economic dialogue and cooperation, trade and investment. It would also look at ways and means of enhancing cooperation over several areas," including the social sector, science and technology, space, energy, clean development and climate change, information and communication technology and transport," said officials. http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/subcontinent/2005/September/subcontinent_September261.xml§ion=subcontinent&col=

Note: http://www.khaleejtimes...