New Delhi, April 9
Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s high-powered four-day official visit to Iran beginning tomorrow is aimed at forging a strategic partnership and consolidating on the commonality of views on a wide range of bilateral, regional and international issues.

The regional security environment and the growing menace of cross-border terrorism has been a matter of serious concern for both New Delhi and Teheran, Adviser in the Ministry of External Affairs K. V. Rajan told mediapersons here.

Mr Rajan said considering the political will and commitment at the highest level, the two sides would sign several agreements and give a fresh impetus to enlarging bilateral cooperation in spheres like energy, information technology, transport and transit, fertilisers, pharmaceuticals, science and technology and culture.

To a pointed question, Mr Rajan said the situation in Afghanistan would be discussed in detail in the wake of the “common concerns” of both countries.

Clearly, the Pakistan-Afghanistan axis in encouraging fundamentalism with India facing the brunt of the terrorist problem in Jammu and Kashmir is expected to figure prominently in the discussions that Mr Vajpayee will have with Iranian president Mohammad Khatami.

Mr Vajpayee will apprise the Iranian leadership about the initiatives taken by him to find a peaceful resolution to the protracted Kashmir tangle, despite Pakistan’s efforts to sabotage such efforts. The BJP-led NDA government has already announced that Planning Commission Deputy Chairman K.C. Pant will be the pointsperson to hold a dialogue with all sections of opinion in J and K, including the Kashmiri militants.

India has sought a concerted and sustained international action to deal with cross-border terrorism. New Delhi has been encouraged by the response from major powers and others who have had to face the debilitating impact of attempts to destabilise the situation in a country through violent means.

The Prime Minister will reaffirm India’s willingness to resume the stalled dialogue with Pakistan, provided Islamabad stops aiding and abetting cross-border terrorism. After Pakistan’s misadventure in the Kargil region of J and K in 1999, New Delhi has been consistent that it is for Pakistan to create conditions conducive for restarting the bilateral dialogue.

With Iran serving as a gateway for enlarging economic cooperation with Central Asia and the Russian Federation, a trilateral transit agreement has already been signed involving India-Iran-Turkmenistan in 1999 and another comprising India-Iran-Russia in 2000 for a North-South corridor.

The much-talked about onshore or deep-sea Iran-India gas pipeline has suffered primarily on account of serious security factors as the overland pipeline has to pass through Pakistan coupled with cost-effectiveness and long-term supplies. The Indo-Iran Joint Committee at the level of the Foreign Ministries of the two countries is grappling with this issue.

Mr Rajan explained that the Joint Committee “is yet to complete its work and submit its recommendations to the two governments for consideration. The third meeting of this Joint Committee will take place after Mr Vajpayee’s trip to Iran. “ At the same international oil majors have had an interface with the Joint Committee and given a presentation about having an on shore gas pipelines as well as the pros and cons of having an offshore one.”

India has welcomed Mr Khatami’s endeavour to open a dialogue on civilisation and expressed keenness to participate in these discussions to promote pluralism, diversity, dialogue and understanding as “all these are in keeping with the ethos of this country.”