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Pentagon woos India with missile shield
Rajeev Sharma
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 22
A high-level delegation of officials from Pentagon today gave a presentation before the joint team of officials from the Ministries of External Affairs and Defence on the proposed National Missile Defence system of the United States.

The Pentagon delegation also offered to India sale of Patriot Advanced Capability II system, sources told The Tribune.

The presentation and the Patriot sale offer assume significance as the twin steps indicate Washington's keen desire to rope in India on its NMD project and equip India with an anti-missile missile system, ignoring objections from Pakistan, a country on whom the Bush administration has bestowed Major Non NATO Ally (MNNA) status.

The American team was led by Mr Edward Ross, number two in the hierarchy of Defence Security Cooperation Agency, Pentagon.

The Pentagon presentation was under the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership (NSSP) which has identified missile defence as one of the four areas of cooperation between India and the United States.

Ms Meera Shankar, an Additional Secretary in the MEA and chief of the Disarmament and International Security Division of the MEA, was among the Indian officials present during the Pentagon team’s presentation.

The American team gave an exhaustive presentation on the technical specifications and capabilities of the Patriot II system and how the system can be useful for India.

India, as of now, does not have an anti-missile missile shield, though it its plan is to develop its Akash series of missiles as such.

A number of countries have been wooing India for selling their anti-missile missile systems, like Russia pushing its S-300 V and Israel its Arrow series. India has not given any commitment to any country so far on purchase of anti-missile missile system.

Natwar briefs panel on security
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 22
External Affairs Minister K Natwar Singh today briefed Parliament’s Consultative Committee attached to the Ministry of External Affairs on India’s security concerns in regional and global context.

Foreign Office spokesman told reporters that Mr Natwar Singh talked of Indian security concerns in specific context of Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Maldives. In this context, the minister also dwelt at length on the USA, Russia, Gulf, West Asia, South-east Asia and the European Union.