PM seeks UK help in chopper deal probe

At a meeting with his UK counterpart, David Cameron, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Tuesday sought the UK’s assistance in probing the $750-million chopper deal involving Anglo-Italian firm AgustaWestland and was assured of help as and when required.

Cameron assured “full cooperation” to India on the issue, underscoring that the UK had recently introduced anti-bribery laws and would take stringent actions against those found guilty.

The meeting, at the swish Hyderabad House, was attended by External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma, HRD Minister M M Pallam Raju, Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Science & Technology Minister S Jaipal Reddy. Though among the key things discussed was the controversy surrounding the VVIP helicopter deal that had stirred the nation, Defence Minister A K Antony was not present at the meeting.

According to Singh, India had demanded an explanation from AgustaWestland if the provisions of the £480-million contract were “violated”.

Cameron said, “We will respond to any request for information on AgustaWestland. We are committed to root out corruption whenever and wherever it comes to light. I am glad the Italian authorities are looking into this issue in detail, as AgustaWestland’s parent firm, Finmeccanica, is an Italian company.”

Cameron also said India and the UK had decided to launch a programme on cyber security to ensure safety of British data in India. The programme would also seek sharing of information affecting each country’s cyber space. According to the programme, UK security officials would be allowed to work in India. Both sides agreed to hold the second round of dialogue on cyber security in March-April. The first round of talks took place in October 2011.

Both sides also decided to launch negotiations for a civil nuclear cooperation deal based on the joint declaration signed in 2010. The two countries also vowed to “fight” against tax evasion and avoidance through the implementation of the amending protocol of their Double Taxation Avoidance Convention (DTAC), signed in October last year.

“This will provide tax stability to the Indian and UK residents, and would facilitate mutual economic cooperation between the two countries. It will also stimulate the flow of investment, technology and services between India and the UK,” the joint statement said.

On the bilateral trade front, Cameron expressed satisfaction that both sides were on track to double merchandise trade by 2015 from $16.25 billion in 2011-12. He emphasised that the UK was looking forward to a “very rapid progress” on the ongoing negotiations for a free trade agreement between India and the European Union (EU).

Cameron, who is leading the largest ever business delegation from the UK, with representatives from more than 100 British firms, said the UK was looking at relaxing its stringent visa norms for Indian businessmen to enhance business and investment ties between the countries.

Vodafone issue raised
Apparently, Cameron also raised the case of UK telecom giant Vodafone Plc, which is engaged in a bitter tax dispute with the Indian government since its acquisition of Hutchison Whampoa’s Indian mobile telephony business in 2007 for $10.7 billion. “The matter was brought up and both sides decided to settle the matter soon,” a senior official told Business Standard.