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Blair to visit India next year: AFP

Foreign office permanent under secretary Kerr is on a two-day visit, ending Wednesday, to meet Indian Foreign Secretary Lalit Mansingh and set up a joint forum to combat terrorism.

"Blair's visit is part of a series of high-level political contacts aimed at intensifying bilateral and trade ties between the two countries," Kerr stated.

Kerr also said three other British ministers, in charge of defence, trade and electronic commerce, will visit New Delhi in the "next few months".

Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh is to make a two-day official visit to London from November 15.

"As India and Britain face the threat of international terrorism, we have set up a joint working group to fight this menace," Kerr said.

The two countries have an extradition treaty. According to Indian intelligence agencies, London has been used as a base by several anti-India terrorist groups, notably Sikh militants fighting for a homeland carved out of India.

Kashmiri separatist groups are reported to have networks in London. A British national is reported to be behind the Christmas-eve hijacking of an Indian Airlines jet from Nepal last year, which ended after seven days in Afghanistan.

Britain has pledged to help New Delhi bring the hijackers to justice.

Kerr is reported to have raised the issue of the continued detention of a Briton, Peter Bleach, for a 1995 arms drop case during his trip to India, foreign office officials said.

Bleach and five Russian pilots were handed life sentences in 1995 in an Indian jail after being convicted of making an arms drop in West Bengal for the fundamentalist sect Ananda Marg.

The crew maintained that they did not know the crates contained weapons.

The Russians were granted presidential pardon on July 22 this year, following intense lobbying by Russian organisations, the government and relatives of the five.

Britain plans to increase co-operation with India on a slew of issues, ranging from counter-terrorism to a relaxation in visa rules.

Negotiations for the purchase of a fleet of advanced jet trainers from British Aerospace for the Indian Air Force are at an advanced stage.

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