Media Center

Official Spokesperson (Shri Syed Akbaruddin):Good afternoon friends and thank you very much for being here. I would also like to extend a special welcome to those of you who are here as part of your training with the Indian Institute of Mass Communications. This does not of course deal with those of you who are familiar figures here. But there are amongst you some who areobserving all of you in action and learn from that. As usual I will make a few announcements and then will be willing to answer any question that you may want toaskeither on those or on anything else. Please remember the norm of one question per person.

The first announcement that I have to make relates to the visit of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Fiji, Mr. Ratu Inoke Kabuabola. He is currently visiting India and will be meeting the External Affairs Minister Shri Salman Khurshid tomorrow.

As you are aware, India and Fiji share close and cordial relations. Our bilateral relations have been growing and the people-to-people contacts have been developing very well.

Fiji is an important partner of India in the Pacific region, and we have cooperation with Fiji in a variety of socioeconomic sectors apart from understandings on political, regional and multilateral levels. Our cultural exchanges have been increasing. In fact, the first Indian Cultural Centre outside India was set up in Fiji. That was more than forty years ago.

Fiji has been assisting us in monitoring in the Pacific for the Mars Orbiter Mission that was launched last November.

Universities in Fiji have memoranda of understanding and other arrangements with various Indian educational institutions to promote academic exchanges. There is a telemedicine centre at the College of Medicine at the Fiji National University, and Fijian students are availing of educational facilities there that are available to Indian students here.

During the visit of the Fijian Foreign Minister it is expected that among other things the focus of discussion will also be on possible Indian electoral assistance to Fiji as they move towards their elections in September 2014. It is our expectation that the visit will further strengthen our bilateral relations with Fiji.

I have another announcement to make and that relates to the Director-Generals of the G4 meeting right now in Delhi. As you know, the G4 consists of Germany, Japan, India and Brazil. The Director-Generals for the United Nations who are the contact persons on this are meeting right now.

Their meeting is in the context of preparations for the 70^th anniversary summit of the UN in 2015. They were tasked by the Foreign Ministers when they met in September last year that it is necessary to intensify efforts to translate the agreement that exists on expansion of the Security Council into concrete outcomes.

Therefore, the officials are here to strategise on the way forward for the 2015 UN Summit. That is the mandate that they have. Those of you who are following Security Council reform are aware that the President of the 68^th United Nations General Assembly, Ambassador John Ashe of Antigua and Barbuda, has summarised key options on the way forward for United Nations Security Council reform. And this has injected much needed momentum into this longstanding debate.

Our view has been that the exercise of UN Security Council reforms cannot be seen to be an exercise ad infinitum. There is an increasing degree of frustration creeping amongst key stakeholders over the slow progress of the process with no results so far. And, therefore, the G4 DGs are attempting to introduce results-based timeline to push forward the agenda of achieving concrete outcomes by 2015.

I have another announcement to make and that is that the External Affairs Minister, Shri Salman Khurshid, will be travelling to Maldives from the 18^th to the 20^th. This is both for a bilateral visit there which will be on the 19^th and on 20^th he will be participating in the 25^th session of the SAARC Council of Ministers to be held in Maldives. Those of you who follow SAARC are aware that preceding the Council of Ministers there will be a meeting of the Standing Committee. That will be on the 18^th and 19^th.

And prior to that on the 17^th there will be a meeting of the Programme Committee which is basically at Director-Generals level. If you would like any further information on the agenda, etc., I will be willing to give in response to any questions that you may have.

With those announcements, I will now be ready to answer any questions that you have on these or on any other matters including the Special Representatives talks this morning.

Question:In this SAARC Foreign Ministers Conference, is the agreement on trade and investment on the agenda? Is any bilateral meeting scheduled?

Official Spokesperson: At this stage I do nothave informationin terms of the bilateral meetings scheduled because we are still to get an understanding of who are representing what countries there. But if there are, there would be likely bilateral meetings.

As regards the agenda of the SAARC Council of Ministers, I think the primary issue on the agenda will be this comprehensive study for the SAARC. There was a comprehensive study for the SAARC which has been prepared by the SAARC Secretariat with the objective of making clear recommendations on how to explore ways and means to streamline, rationalise, restructure various SAARC mechanisms. And it is expected that the report will be presented there and there will be a preliminary discussion. In addition to that, there will also be discussions on transport and connectivity. Those of you who are following SAARC are aware that there are some proposals on trying to enhance connectivity between SAARC countries. For example, there is one proposal of Maldives for I think a ferry service between Maldives-India-Sri Lanka There is another trial or demonstration run of a container train between Bangladesh, India and Nepal. These are some of those proposals that will be discussed. So, we have a comprehensive report.These are issues relating to connectivity and transport. Of course there will be issues relating to SAFTA which now has all SAARCmembersas part of that arrangement. Afghanistan has joined in SAFTA. Approximately about 20 per cent of intra-SAARC trade is governed by SAFTA, and I would think it is something in the vicinity of US$ 2.3 billion. That is where we are on trade. There will also be other issues discussed relating to the South Asian University. These are broadly also matters relating to a common approach towards environment. So, a broad and a quick peak at the agenda. I think I have covered some of the issues you would like to know about. But if you have anything else, I am willing to also respond to that.

Question:Sir, German President was here recently. Japan’s Prime Minister was also here. But they were all out of media glare and things were looking as if it was a low key affair. Now the Director-Generals are meeting. So, what is cooking really for the UN Security Council actually?

Official Spokesperson: Whatever is cooking is being cooked right now,so, you will have to wait for an outcome. Let me try and give you a little bit more of detail. The G4 representatives, or the Director-Generals, are thepoint persons who deal with this issue. What we have done this time is, beyond that we have also engaged civilsociety. So, tomorrow there will be a seminar on Security Council reform which is being planned with the IDSA. This is to involve civil society also in understanding what is being cooked. So, I hope you could wait for that and understand either you could participate in that and get to know what is cooked, or at the end of this cooking process I will certainly explain to you. But at this stage I can only tell you something is being cooked.

Question:Can you tell us about the top three topics in this meeting of 17^thround of Representatives talks and is there any new consensus or new breakthrough achieved this time?

Official Spokesperson: Let me try and encapsulate this for you. The 17^th round of the talks between Special Representatives - Mr. Shiv Shankar Menon, who is the National Security Advisor of India, and Mr. Yang Jiechi, who is the State Councillor from China - took place yesterday and today. If I have to try and encapsulate what would be the three broad areas, perhaps I could sum them up as follows. The first of course would be issues relating to the boundary. The second would be issues relating to bilateral relations. And the third are issues relating to international and regional issues. Let me try and explain to you what in each of these segments were the broad areas of discussion, so that you will have a pretty good readout at the end of my explanation on this matter.

On the issues relating to the boundary, this meeting of the Special Representatives was preceded by the meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs. This was held yesterday morning. So, what has happened is that there is now a symbiotic process that has been set in place whereby issues relating to the border are fed into the Special Representatives process. So, this is point number one in terms of how we are approaching this

Point No.2 is that as far as the Special Representatives consideration of the boundary question is concerned, they are, as you know, in the second phase of the entire boundary issue. The first phase was to agree to guiding principles for the settlement of the boundary question. That was completed sometime earlier.

The second phase which is now in process is what is called discussions on a framework for the resolution of the boundary question. And that is what the discussions were on. Following this second phase when we move to the third phase, and that third phase will relate to demarcation on maps of any framework agreement and delimitation on the ground. That is still time to go on the third phase. We are right now in the second phase and there were these exchanges of views on what framework should be accepted.

Even while we are discussing this issue of the boundary framework, there was an acceptance by both sidesandthey discussed and agreed that the continued maintenance of peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas is the cornerstone of an expanding India-China relationship. The Special Representatives elaborated additional confidence building measures including early implementation of the Border Defence Cooperation Agreement. They also welcomed the decision to have an early meeting in 2014 of the Annual Defence Dialogue. Those of you who are following this are perhaps aware that this meeting will be held on February 24.

These measures cumulatively augur well for building mutual trust and the habit of regular consultations between the two sides for enhancing better understanding and trust on the boundary-related issues. So, that is the boundary-related areas of discussion

As I said, these are senior officials. They are meeting for the first time after two successful meetings of the Prime Ministers. There was a visit of the Chinese Prime Minister to India and then subsequently a visit by the Indian Prime Minister to China. And when senior officials meet they also take into account where the bilateral relations are in this mix. So, if I can try and give you a readout of what were the discussions on those matters, I would perhaps try and sum it up as that there was a positive evaluation of India-China relations in the aftermath of the visit to India by the Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and the return visit by the Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2013. The Special Representatives agreed that a strong and expanding India-China partnership bodes well for peace and stability in the region and the world.

They undertook a holistic review of bilateral relations and expressed satisfaction that 2014 would be marked as the year of friendly exchanges with a series of economic, cultural and social events in both countries. Vice-President of India, Shri Hamid Ansari, will today be starting that process in India later in the evening. As regards this process in China, this was initiated on January 24^thas part of our Republic Day celebrations when the Chinese Vice President Li Yuanchao had flagged off this process.

Both Special Representatives also felt the need for continuing the momentum of high-level visits and exchanges as well as enhancing people-to-people ties between the two countries. They encouraged the holding of regular dialogues between the two governments on a variety of bilateral issues. These include counterterrorism, disarmament and international security, and maritime affairs. These dialogues are already there but they felt that these should be held on schedule and they will intensify the bilateral relationship.

Finally, issues of a broader nature, i.e., when India and China meet they are two big countries who have perspectives on the world not only on bilateral issues but on regional and international issues. And the discussions between the two Special Representatives, therefore, focused on regional and international issues of mutual interest which include cooperation on matters such as the East Asia Summit process, developments in West Asia, and Afghanistan. They also agreed that India and China consultations on such subjects could be expanded.

In essence, the thrust was that India and China need to work together on a host of international issues of common interest where rules of a global nature are being rewritten. These include matters relating to trade, climate change and finance.

If I were to sum up this entire issue of discussions between the two Special Representatives, in our assessment the talks were candid, friendly and held in a constructive atmosphere as is becoming of two major countries.

Question:The first phase of negotiations was over in 2006 when the Guiding Principles were decided. The second phase is going on for the last eight years. When do you think this can be completed? Is there any timeline for this?

Official Spokesperson: Thanks, Ranjit, I am glad that you think I am a soothsayer, but I am not. I could not answer his question as to what is going to be cooked tomorrow orlatertoday. So, do not imagine that I can respond to what is going to be a timeline for an issue, which is extremely complex,which both countries are serious in addressing, and which both countries are diligently working towards.

Question:Could you elaborate something on the framework? You said that in the second phase now they are working on a framework agreement. Can we have a little bit more on that?

Official Spokesperson: As he said, this is going on for some time. You had more than bits.

Question:Akbar, you just spoke about counterterrorism in the India-China context. Could you please expand on that a little bit? What are the parameters, who are the terrorists, given that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter, etc., and also given that one of the main sources of cross-border terrorism in India’s case comes from Pakistan which is China’s closest ally?

Official Spokesperson: First of all, let me try and address each of the issues that you have raised. The specific sentence that you used is of a bygone era. Today nobody says one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. This was an era which predates global consensus against terrorism. This was a debate which goes back to the 60s onwards. In the 21^stcentury this is not a view that is now articulated by a state because the view of all states is that terrorismfrom non-state actors and threatens different states in different parts of the world.

All states have repeatedly said that there is zero tolerance for terrorism. What India and China are looking towards are specific and identifiable concrete actions in this. You are perhaps aware that there have been exercises on this previously. And the idea is to develop and grow in confidence to tackle what is a scourge to both of us.

We are cooperating not only bilaterally but also in multilateral fora for example through the SCO. The SCO has amechanismof what is called the RATS. I will explain the details to you later on. But there is a cooperative framework in the SCO where China is a member and India is an observer and we are both workinginthat cooperative frameworktoo.

As part of our ongoing discussions on a variety of topics which I listed out, there was an understanding that where state frameworks arefragile, there is a possibility of non-state actors germinating and creating problems beyond those borders. Beyond that I think I would not like to go into greater detail because I think today I have shared with you inasmuch detail as possible a readout of the two SR’s meeting in detail which we have never shared before.

Those of you who are covering this for years, this is the 17^th round, I do not think you had that much of detail previously. So, we go step by step.. I know I can never fully satiate the appetite for more. But we are moving in that direction.

Question:Do you think that agreement between India and China called BDCA is effectively working? And to prove your point, can you tell us how many incidents of transgression have taken place after BDCA was signed?

Official Spokesperson: I think I mentioned to you that there is a synergy between two meetings - one is those related to the border and the consultative mechanism. That is the meeting that deals with the border issues. The meeting of the Special Representatives deals with the broader issue of the boundary. Now if your question is that were issues and instances which each side has raised on the border discussed, my answer to that is, yes, it was discussed in the first meeting.

Question:Akbar, in the context of the counterterrorism talks, there have been reports that Paresh Barua, who has been recently convicted in Bangladesh of having been involved in that arms case as well, is in China at some point. Does this topic come up in this kind of a conversation between the Special Representatives?

Official Spokesperson: When the Special Representatives discuss they do not go by reports in the media, they go by actual information that is available to them from sources other than media reports. So, that is the basis for their discussions. I have answered your question in as elliptical a manner as possible.

Question:Has China ever denied that Paresh Barua is not in China?

Official Spokesperson: I think the answer to that question depends on whether the issue was raised. And I answered to her that issues where we are aware of reports other than media reports, we discuss. And I think I have answered your question in another elliptical manner.

Question:Sir, about the framework talks, is there any forward movement in the exchange of maps especially in the western sector, the Ladakh sector? Any forward movement on that? Can we get any sense of forward movement in these framework talks?

Official Spokesperson: I think the entire intention was to indicate that this has been a very constructive round. You use some phrases, I use some other phrases. I think you came in a little later, I have given a fairly long, detailed readout of the talks. Do not push your luck too much. Ultimately diplomacy has to be conducted beyond public glare because these are issues that we conduct, and negotiations always mean give and take. So, these are ongoing negotiations. Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed. So, once it is all agreed, we will let you know. So, please do not gauge minute by minute and do not expect us to give you those sort of commentaries. I have given you a fairly detailed readout and I think I will stop at that.

Question:It is on the Italians, Sir. NDTV has spoken to the Italian envoy and he says that the Italian government is very unhappy with how the Indian Goverment has dealt with the case of the Italian Marines. And he said that they should not be tried under anti terror law or the anti piracy law because they are neither terrorists, not pirates. And this is impacting the relationship. How would the government respond to it?

Official Spokesperson: Anchal, I think we need to understand that this case is unique. It is sui generis. This is a case which has not previously had a precedent in bilateral relations between India and Italy. And, therefore, we have a view about it and we understand that our Italian friends have another view of it.

We also understand that they have made it very clear repeatedly that they are not in agreement with our view in a whole series of issues - whether the jurisdiction should be an Indian court or not. whether in an Indian court it should be at the State level or at the Central level, whether at the Central level it should be ‘x’ law or ‘y’ law. We understand that these are differences and these are differences in approach. We are working on this matter.

The Attorney-General has said that he requires until the 18^th to come out and clearly indicate on this matter a final view. Our view as you have tried several times, guesses or wrongly second guess, has not been correct by many of you saying that this has been decided and that has been decided. So, please wait until the matter which is sub judice, is explained in court and then you will have an entire explanation of the current situation. We do understand that this process has not been something that our Italian friends are happy with. We are there to explain to them the situation but the loss of our land will prevail in our courts as our authorities deem fit.

Question:Sir, the American Ambassador will be meeting the Chief Minister of Gujarat very soon. How does the External Affairs Ministry see this?

Official Spokesperson: Shrinjoy, I think you are aware that it is normal for diplomats or Ambassadors of different countries to make requests to the External Affairs Ministry, to facilitate their meetings with Constitutionally-elected functionaries of States. In this context quite some time ago the American Embassy did ask the Ministry of External Affairs on this issue. We did facilitate and have communicated to them after proper consultations with all concerned, that they could proceed with this meeting with the Chief Minister of Gujarat who is a Constitutionally elected Chief Minister of India and it is normal courtesy that we extend to all foreign Heads of Mission if they would like to meet and if it is mutually convenient, we provide that facilitation.

Question:When exactly did they come to you regarding this meeting and what do you consider when granting that approval for the meeting, specifically in this circumstance what did you consider?

Official Spokesperson: We considered that the meeting was by an Ambassador of a country which has friendly relations with us. We considered that the request was for a Constitutionally elected functionary of a state. These are just the two criteria that we consider. I do not know exactly when this request was made but it was made quite some time ago. And the meeting is fixed for this week.

Question:Akbar, what is the status about the truckers who were struck in Pakistan? What is the update ? Have we ever got the report about their well being?

Official Spokesperson: We are in regular touch through diplomatic channels on the issue of the 27 Indian truckers who are awaiting their return to India from across the Line of Control. We have taken it up with the Pakistani authorities on a regular basis and we are hoping to work towards a diplomatic solution because this is a humanitarianissue. The entire issue of cross-LoC trade is a humanitarian issue as was the issue of cross-LoC travel. And it is our intention to try and normalise the situation as quickly as possible and we are working. Let me assure you we are working through diplomatic channels as vigorously as possible.

Question:How does India view the reports that US will be taking India to the WTO on opening up India’s solar sector?

Official Spokesperson: I think you will have to ask these questions of my colleague in the Ministry of Commerce who deal with these issues.

Question:Sir, an Indian has been indicted in Singapore for participating in the riots there. Is the MEA going to do anything about it?

Official Spokesperson: We are aware of the verdict of the Supreme Court of Singapore yesterday against Mr. Chinnappa VijayaRaghunath Poopathi. He is an Indian national who has been charged of continuing to be in assembly after it had been ordered to disperse under Section 151 of the Singapore Penal Code.

We are in constant touch with Singapore side to ensure that all Indian nationals charged are provided the due process of law and legal assistance. Subsequently we are also aware that today the Attorney General of Singapore has released a report on the accident leading to the death of the Indian national Mr. Kumaravelu on 8^th December 2013in Little India in Singapore.

We are in contact with the Singapore side to ensure that the facts of the case are fully investigated and due action is taken. A senior Indian diplomat, Secretary (East) Mr. Anil Wadhwa will be travelling to Singapore shortly to discuss bilateral issues including matters relating to the riots of Little India.

Question:Sir, there are two Indian engineers who are trapped in Iran. Mr. Ahmed Patel raised this issue with the EAM. Can we have some details of why they have been stopped from coming back to the country?

Official Spokesperson: Maha, I do not have the full details but my understanding is this was largely a commercial dispute between thecompanythat the two Indian engineers were working for and a local company in terms of fulfilment of the contract, and these engineers had gone there to provide services to fulfil that contract. I will try and get you those details and provide you the information of what is the status on that.

Question:Sir, I hope you are aware that for the past five days the Parliament is stuck regarding the fishermen issue. Your answer would enlighten the politicians. What is the outcome of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lankan fishermen’s meet and what are the steps that have been taken to release the fishermen?

Official Spokesperson: I think the two fishermencommunitiesacross the Palk Straits have had a very successful meeting last month. Part of that meeting I think the implementation started yesterday. You are aware of that. It is for the fishermen’s associations to explain what steps they are taking but my understanding is that some steps which relate to the agreement that was entered into between the two fishermen communities on both sides, the implementation started yesterday which is February 10. Iunderstandthat they have worked out a timeframe for this agreement to be implemented. Let us see whetherthere isprogress and we will know the outcome of it as it happens because the first step of that agreement started yesterday.

Thank you very much for being here this afternoon.

(Concluded)