M A I N   N E W S

Indo-US defence meeting on Aug 6
Girja Shankar Kaura
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 28
The crucial and strategically important meeting of the Indo-US Defence Policy Group (DPG), the highest-level interaction between the defence officials of the two countries, is likely to be held in Washington on August 6 and 7.

The meeting was initially to be held in February but was postponed apparently due to the impending US military action on Iraq. The officials of the two sides held fresh consultations after the recent takeover by Mr Ajay Prasad as Defence Secretary and agreed for the dates.

Mr Prasad is likely to lead the Indian delegation at the meeting while the US delegation is expected to be led by the Under Secretary of Defence for Policy.

The meeting would be of significance keeping in mind the new initiative taken by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the Pakistan front. It would also be of importance due to the fresh strikes undertaken by suspected Al-Qaida operatives around the world.

Sources here said the two countries are expected to have deliberations on further coordinating approaches to security issues in Asia. The two countries are also expected to review the steps undertaken to strengthen counter-terrorism measures and to improve the security environment in Afghanistan, including the rebuilding of the Afghan National Army.

At the last meeting, the two sides had reaffirmed their commitment to work together to prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems. They had also agreed on the value of pursuing a missile defence requirements ‘analysis’ for India.

The two sides had also agreed to develop a defence supply relationship, including through the government-to-government foreign military sales programme and resumption of technical cooperation in defence research, development and production through the meeting of the joint technical group.

The DPG meeting also set course for cooperation in additional areas which included consequence management in response to weapons of mass destruction, humanitarian relief, cyberterrorism and environmental security.

Following the third DPG meeting in New Delhi in December 2001 some of the significant achievements included the combined naval patrols in the strategic Strait of Malacca, resumption of defence trade, beginning with the sale of the ‘firefinder’ radars and the signing of a General Security of Military Information agreement to facilitate cooperation in defence technology.