M A I N   N E W S

Dual citizenship by year-end
P.P.S. Gill
Tribune News Service

New York, June 14
Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, who leaves for the UK tonight met Mr Hennery Kissinger, a former diplomat and a friend of India, yesterday. The two are believed to have discussed Indo-US relations, the regional and international geo-political situation and the emerging global coalitions on ways to fight terrorism and ensure peace and security for all people. The meeting lasted 25 minutes.

Mr Advani’s weeklong visit to the USA remained focused on Pakistan. His discussions and consultations with US President George Bush and his team of Secretaries on strategic nature of India-US relationship and bilateral co-operation will have a bearing on the talks that Mr Bush is scheduled to have with Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf. One cannot expect an immediate or overnight turnabout in the standoff between India and Pakistan from the current visit. It, certainly, is expected to give Washington a better and wider appreciation and understanding and political insight into the mind of New Delhi.

Mr Advani, whose schedule was tightly packed, interacted with the Indian communities settled in the US at all the places that he visited, Washington, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. At each of these places, he was accorded warm civic receptions, where he not only projected Mr Vajpayee as the next Prime Minister but also built a new bridge with the Indian Diaspora by recounting their contribution to the economic development of their countries of adoption and announcing that before the end of the current year “dual citizenship” would become a reality in selected countries.

The straight talks with the US on defence co-operation, cross-border terrorism and on bilateral issues, civilian space co-operation, the use of nuclear energy for generation of electricity and promotion of high-technology trade also figured in the talks. The message to the US and the American Indians settled in the US thus was clear and succinct: India was capable of ensuring security to its people on its own and would not succumb to any pressures and take decisions on international issues in the light of the UN resolutions but without sacrificing its own national interests.

During the visit, where Mr Advani interacted with “think tanks” and discussed matters of strategic importance on internal security and check cross-border terrorism. He also delivered two lectures, one on “Democracies against terrorism” at the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations on June 12 and the other on “Indo-US relationship in a strategic perspective” at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council, a day earlier.

In the UK, Mr Advani is likely to brief British Prime Minister Tony Blair about India’s perception of the regional and international geo-political situation and about his consultations with Washington. Besides issues of bilateral interest will also be taken up.

Advani, Pervez to cross path

London, June 14
In a pure coincidence, India’s Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, reaching here tomorrow after his US visit and Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, on his way to Boston, will cross each other’s path here on Tuesday. During his four-day visit at the invitation of the British Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott, Mr Advani will have wide ranging discussions with Prime Minister Tony Blair and other leaders on international and bilateral issues with main focus on terrorism, Indo-Pak relations and the situation in Iraq. “It is possible the £ 1billion Hawk deal will figure in the discussions,” a spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said. PTI