Seychelles Prez arrives in India, Assumption pact on the back burner

NEW DELHI: Seychelles President Danny Faure arrived in Gujarat on Friday evening. The visit comes even as it is clear that a military base proposal in the remote coral Assumption (Assomption) Islands will not find its way into the archipelago nation’s Parliament for ratification.

Seychelles President Danny Faure will mee PM Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday. PTI file

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 22

Seychelles President Danny Faure arrived in Gujarat on Friday evening. The visit comes even as it is clear that a military base proposal in the remote coral Assumption (Assomption) Islands will not find its way into the archipelago nation’s Parliament for ratification.

Faure will be in Delhi on Monday when he will be accorded a ceremonial reception and hold official talks with Prime Minister Modi. President Faure was quoted by local media earlier as saying that the Assumption island issue will not be discussed with PM Modi. However, Indian sources suggest the matter is on the table for quiet discussions, though public pressure will not be mounted to allow Seychelles to sort its own domestic politics.

The Agreement involves Indian investment of 550 million dollars in building a joint military base to be shared by both countries for up to 30 years. Following public protests on grounds of sovereignty and environmental concerns, the deal was revised on January 27 this year to clarify issues like prohibition of any nuclear use of the island as well as India not be allowed to use the base in war. Despite that Opposition persists leaving the minority ruling government with its hands tied.

“The government will not present the agreement to the National Assembly (Parliament) for approval because Opposition members (who are the majority) have already said they will not ratify it,” Seychelles Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Barry Faure told International News Agency Reuters just ahead of Faure’s India Visit. “Hence the question of whether the agreement has been cancelled or not does arise — we will simply not take it to the Assembly,” he added.

New Delhi wants to ensure safety of its vessels in southern Indian Ocean and increase strategic presence in waters as China expands its maritime footprint and now has an overseas military base in Djibouti. Seychelles government agreed the deal would help coastguards to patrol its 1.3 million sq km Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Assumption has strategic importance for monitoring shipping of international vessels through Mozambique Channel.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will hand over a surveillance Dornier aircraft to President Faure in a ceremony on Tuesday. In Gujarat President Faure will visit IIM-Ahmedabad, Sabarmati Ashram and Gujarat Forensic Sciences University. He will also travel to Goa and Uttarakhand during his India visit.