Sonia sends support signal to PM

JYOTI MALHOTRA


New Delhi, August 20, 2007 : Congress president Sonia Gandhi left for South Africa tonight, ostensibly sending a strong signal of support to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s handling of the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Equally, however, the visit of Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe to India for the next three days – the exact time that Mrs Gandhi is expected to be in South Africa – means that she is using the opportunity go, because the current political crisis engulfing the country is hardly likely to snowball during the visit of a foreign leader.

Abe arrives in Delhi tomorrow, and will address a joint session of Parliament on Wednesday, besides holding talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a wide variety of strategic issues, including Japan’s support for the Indo-US nuclear deal.

Meanwhile, Sonia is believed to have wanted to keep to her very full South Africa schedule, especially since it looks good that her political managers are currently in the throes trying to work out a political compromise with the Left parties.

Till she returns, then, the government will seek to maintain a business-as-usual façade on all sides, in order not to give the impression that it is completely at the mercy of the Left parties.

As for Sonia, who has displayed a keen sense of keeping alive the Nehru-Gandhi tradition of camaraderie, especially with nations imbued with the revolutionary spirit, the journey to South Africa is perfect.

So in Cape Town and in Johannesburg, she will launch the Mahatma Gandhi lecture series, address the South African parliament, meet the top leadership of the African National Congress led by Nelson Mandela and visit Robben Island – where Mandela spent 26 years in incarceration during the apartheid years.

Sonia may have also realised that, whatever the crisis at home, she could not have cancelled her South African engagements without some loss of face abroad.

Minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma, who has coordinated Mrs Gandhi’s programme, has already left for South Africa.

The government’s business-as-usual strategy, currently on full display until the crisis is resolved one way or another, came into force with Sonia’s South Africa visit.

Asked if, under the circumstances, Mrs Gandhi would still go, Sharma said, ``Why should she cancel?’’

None other than Foreign Secretary Shivshanker Menon was today putting on a brave face at a press conference dealing with Abe’s visit.

Menon refused to divulge any details as to how Delhi was dealing with the crisis, only pointing out that India would definitely seek Japan’s cooperation when the Indo-US nuclear deal comes up at the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

``Yes, we will,’’ he said.

In fact, atomic energy chief Anil Kakodkar is setting off for Vienna in September for a meeting with the IAEA, although it isn’t clear yet whether the Indo-US nuclear deal is also on the agenda.

Still, a strong, underlying strand in the Manmohan Singh-Abe conversations could revolve around the ``China factor,’’ which seems to be emerging as a significant theme in the current political-diplomatic crisis.

China, in fact, is already trying to introduce at the NSG an amendment which says that all ``exceptions’’ to be brought before the NSG for waiver, such as India, should be based on certain criteria.

Some analysts interpret this move in the direction of China pushing for similar rights for Pakistan sometime in the future.

PTI reports from Beijing say that China and Pakistan are now making progress on a similar nuclear deal as between India and the US.

Pakistan's defence ties with China, and the implications of the Indo-US deal on the two countries were discussed in detail earlier this months when General Ehsan-ul-Haq, chairman of Pakistan's joint chiefs of staff committee, led a top-level military delegation to Beijing. During talks, Chinese Vice-President Zeng Qinghong and Defence Minister Cao Gangchuan assured the delegation of increased support to ensure its security.

China's Assistant Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai also visited Islamabad this month, calling on President Pervez Musharraf, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Foreign Minister Khurshid M Kasuri among others. At these meetings, the draft of a possible Sino-Pakistan deal was discussed, sources said.

Meanwhile, a report from Islamabad said that Pakistan has decided to accelerate its nuclear programme in view of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, with President Musharraf issuing directives to scientists in this regard. It was reported that the work on the Khushab reactor would be accelerated, while new reactors would also be installed.

ENDS