India Against Creation Of Power Blocs, Says Gowda

Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda has said India is against creation of any power blocs and stands for strengthening of relations with countries on bilateral basis.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday aboard `Samudra Gupta, the special Air India Boeing 747, while returning from his visit to Moscow, Gowda denied reports there was any move to hold a meeting involving the Chinese foreign minister in the Russian capital.

It is a matter of coincidence that the Chinese foreign minister is in Moscow....There was no question of any trilateral meeting....But we will make all efforts to further strengthen our relations with China.

Describing his talk with Russian President Boris Yeltsin and premier V S Chernomyrdin as highly successful and fruitful, Gowda said Moscow supported Indias claim for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council.

During Gowdas stay in Moscow, Russia decided in principle to go ahead with the construction of two light water nuclear power reactors in Tamil Nadu, rejecting protest from the US for such a deal, which could cost over $2 billion. A decision has been taken to prepare a project report on the power plants.

Russia maintained the nuclear power project deal, signed between Moscow and New Delhi in 1988 during the visit of former Russian president Mikhail Gorbachev, did not violate the 1992 nuclear suppliers accord.

Gowda said Russia has assured it would not supply any military hardware to Pakistan and that, Moscow would refrain from transferring crucial tanks equipment to Ukraine, which was selling T-80 Ud tanks to Islamabad.

Gowda said a decision had been arrived at with regard to Russian cooperation in the Tehri dam project in Uttar Pradesh.

On defence ties between the two countries, the Prime Minister said Russia had agreed to cooperate with India in this sphere beyond 2000.

He said Yeltsin and Chernomyrdin had accepted his invitation to visit India this year. Gowda said he informed the Russian leadership about the firming of ties between New Delhi and Beijing, the historic Indo-Bangladesh accord on sharing of Ganga waters, the Mahakali river waters agreement with Nepal and the further improvement of relations with Sri Lanka.

The recently launched Indian Ocean rim treaty, arrived at in Mauritius among over a dozen countries, also came up for discussion.

The Prime Minister said he also apprised Moscow of the effort being made by New Delhi to better relations with Islamabad and on the resumption of the foreign secretary level talks between the two neighbours.

Gowda said India would endeavour to further improve its ties with Beijing and other neighbouring countries.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by finance minister P Chidambaram, external affairs minister I K Gujral, minister of state for commerce B B Ramaiah, who held separate discussions with their Russian counterparts during the span of the three-day visit. The mode of repayment of Indian loans was taken up by Chidambaram with the Russian leadership.

Gowda said Russia clearly demonstrated its intention to work together with India in a spirit of trust and cooperation and continue its time tested ties with New Delhi.