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| Wednesday, 10 September 2003 |
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India-Israel relationship comes into open as Sharon begins talks NEW DELHI, Tuesday (AFP) Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Tuesday hailed India as "one of the most important countries in the world" before going into talks with his hosts aimed at expanding military and political cooperation. "We are very much interested in developing and strengthening relations with India," Sharon told reporters after being accorded a ceremonial welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the 340-room British-built palace of India's president. "We regard India to be one of the most important countries in the world; we share our belief in democracy and I hope that my visit here will contribute in strengthening our relations with India and developing them," said Sharon, who arrived late Monday for a four-day visit denounced by India's Muslim and leftwing groups. "We believe we can do many things together in many fields," he said. "This is the first visit by an Israeli prime minister here - it will help us move forward to accomplish all those things," Sharon said. Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee was equally effusive. "We have old relations," Vajpayee told reporters. "A new shape is being given to these relations - it is a historic visit and I am confident it will bring the two countries closer." A military veteran whose autobiography is entitled "Warrior," Sharon was to to make a pilgrimage to the tomb of slain apostle of non-violence Mahatma Gandhi, who led India's independence movement, where leftwing groups warned they would stage protests against his visit. A huge security blanket has been thrown across the Indian capital for Sharon's visit, with riot-control police stationed at points where demonstrations were likely. He was late due to hold a string of meetings with Indian leaders including Vajpayee, his deputy Lal Krishna Advani and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra, an architect of New Delhi's warming ties with the Jewish state. A senior official travelling with Sharon's delegation said the once-secretive ties became more open after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States. "There is no doubt the watershed events of 9/11 and the global campaign against world terrorism have created a new opportunity to create stronger ties between India, Israel and the United States," he said, describing the relationship between them as a "strategic triangle". "We're talking about a trilateral strategic triangle, combining efforts and joining hands to combat the terrorism in Asia, where we see a large rise in terror activity, particularly of the radical Islamic brand," the official said. India was for years a critic of Israel, supporting the since-revoked 1975 UN resolution that labelled Zionism a form of racism. But India forged full diplomatic relations with Israel in 1992 and since then ties have steadily warmed, with Israel now New Delhi's second largest military supplier after Russia. Sharon is leading a 150-member delegation of officials and businesspeople including the chiefs of major Israeli arms firms. An official with the Israeli delegation said the two countries might in "another couple of weeks" sign a billion-dollar sale to India of the sophisticated Phalcon radar system. Vajpayee and Sharon will draft a joint statement expected to touch on the threat of Islamic radicals, an issue of concern to both countries - with India battling militants in Kashmir and Israel struggling with the Palestinian territories. Syed Ahmed Bukhari, the chief cleric of Delhi's Jama Masjid, plans to lead a march Tuesday to the Israeli embassy to denounce Sharon, whom he called "the man behind all the savage and brutal activities of Israel against Palestinian Muslims." |
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