NEWSLINKS US EDITION SOUTH ASIA COLUMNISTS DIARY SPECIALS INTERVIEWS CAPITAL BUZZ REDIFF POLL THE STATES ELECTIONS ARCHIVES US ARCHIVES SEARCH REDIFF
Tarun Basu in New Delhi
It is arguably one of the most important foreign trips that an Indian prime minister has undertaken in recent times.
With a war in the region whose denouement remains uncertain and terrorism an omnipresent threat, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee embarks on Sunday on a visit that takes him to three of the world's most important capitals. And this, at a time when the leading powers are redefining their strategic goals to meet the post-September 11 challenges
Vajpayee's 10-day trip will take him to St Petersburg, Moscow, Washington, New York and London, where he will have talks with leaders whose moves are shaping destinies of countries like Afghanistan and Pakistan and redrawing international alliances that may set new political agendas for nations like India.
His official visit to Russia was fixed long in advance and is in fact the only visit that has survived the post-September 11 cancellations of trips to New York, Cyprus, Tunisia, Australia and Singapore.
But then came an out of the blue invitation from United States President George Bush, brought by Secretary of State Colin Powell when he came visiting the subcontinent last month. So Washington got added to Vajpayee's itinerary along with New York and London.
The itinerary, however, has large gaps in the prime minister's engagements on November 11 that officials are hedging to explain. Vajpayee will be in New York on the day that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf will be there to address the United Nations General Assembly. Vajpayee will be addressing the UNGA a day earlier.
The buzz is that despite public disavowals of a meeting, Vajpayee may finally agree to meet Musharraf. The US is particularly keen on the meeting, as are other Western nations, including Britain, France and Germany, as they feel that a face-to-face talk between the south Asian adversaries may help lower temperatures and defuse a tense border situation.
Both countries have reported massing of their troops along the border in a situation seen as alarming by many. The last thing that Washington wants, say Western diplomats, is a distraction from their Afghan mission against Osama bin Laden.
The four-day visit to Russia is seen as particularly significant since Vajpayee will be meeting Bush within four days of his discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 6.
India and Russia have certain reservations over what they see as the uni-dimensional nature of the US-led battle against terror. Although both have supported the America's 'war on terrorism', they feel that it needs to be widened in scope to cover threats to their countries as well.
The future set-up in Afghanistan is also high on the agenda with both Moscow and New Delhi supporting the Northern Alliance and opposing the inclusion of 'moderate' Taleban elements that Islamabad wants and Washington is not averse to.
Agreements, some public and some not so public, ranging in areas from defence to nuclear would also be finalised or signed during the visit.
Vajpayee will meet Bush at the White House on November 9 to review the current developments, including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Kashmir. He is expected to strongly put forward New Delhi's concern over Islamabad's continued support to terrorism directed at Indian soil, according to senior officials who will be part of the delegation.
On November 10, Vajpayee will address the UNGA, which he was to do in September. But the visit was put off because of the September 11 attacks. The address, say knowledgeable officials, will have a completely new ring to it from the one he was scheduled to deliver in early September.
"Things have changed completely since September 11," said an official. "Though India's perspective has not changed and has in many ways been vindicated."
The London halt is a late addition to the prime minister's itinerary. The 24-hour visit would return the October 5-6 visit by British Prime Minister Tony Blair to New Delhi and help continue the momentum of high-level discussions that the two countries have been conducting for some time.
An official admits that the November 4-13 visit is perhaps one of the most important foreign trips that the government has prepared for in many years, and one in which a lot is at stake.
"If we succeed in getting across our viewpoints, both in the realms of official and public diplomacy, to our interlocutors in the context of the present international situation around us, the visit should be counted as a success.
"Whether in Afghanistan or in the battle against terrorism, India has a major role to play and its role cannot be discounted merely because it is not next door to the war theatre or because it has not put a price for its support," the official said.
Indo-Asian News Service
ALSO READ America's War on Terror: The Complete Coverage The Attack on US Cities: The Complete Coverage
Back to top
Tell us what you think of this report
