Round The World

New Delhi, 3 August 2010

Cameron’s India Mission

REASSESSING INDO-UK TIES

By Monish Tourangbam

Research Scholar, School of International Studies (JNU)

The British Prime Minister David Cameron was a man on a mission to India and his opportune visit has indeed managed to create the right buzz in Indian and British media. His high-profile trip with a large and influential delegation, not long after occupying 10 Downing Street, is being seen as a bold and significant step towards giving steam to the otherwise less-dynamic Indo-UK relations. In spite of the ties being bogged down by debates on the controversial cap proposed on non-EU migrants, the visit managed to start the process of effective engagement, including initiating major efforts to take forward the defence and peaceful nuclear energy partnership. Reassess

Cameron came with an objective to tone down the differences and amplify the opportunities with New Delhi. India has managed to sail through the global recession relatively unscathed. Its growing role in G20 coupled with its increasing attractiveness as a major defence and peaceful nuclear energy market creates the atmosphere whereby British interest can invariably have a good landing spot.

A major leap in economic ties was the aim of his visit. Accompanied with a huge entourage, the British PM went out of his way to impress upon the Indian Government that he was determined to drive away areas of stagnancy. India’s emergence as one of the most lucrative markets in the world has attracted the attention of multiple countries and the visiting delegation came with the primary aim to qualitatively and quantitatively increase the trade flow between the two countries.

The two sides decided to constitute an India-UK CEOs Forum and an India-UK Infrastructure Group. Asserted Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, “We will work towards doubling our trade in the next five years. Building upon past experience, we have also agreed to launch a new phase of the UK-India Education and Research Initiative.” The CEOs Forum will make recommendations to the two Governments on how to increase levels of trade and investment in each others’ economies and the India-UK Infrastructure Group would help identify barriers to investment and potential solutions.

Joining countries that have signed agreements or negotiated with New Delhi in the field of civilian nuclear energy, London also signed a declaration on UK-India Nuclear Cooperation earlier this year. Following the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group (NSG) waiver given to India, the UK in November 2008 had lifted its ban on nuclear-related exports to New Delhi. The joint statement stated, “This has created opportunities for wide-ranging cooperation between the countries in the nuclear field including with regard to nuclear trade and exchanges between scientific institutions.”

In international politics, the strategic nature of a relationship is invariable defined by the growth and intensity of defence cooperation. The joint declaration took note of the development of broad-based UK-Indian co-operation in the defence sector. Besides, the various successful joint exercises, the icing on the cake was the £700m deal between UK-based defence group BAE Systems and engine supplier Rolls-Royce with India's Hindustan Aeronautics to supply 57 Hawk training jets. The deal designed to strengthen relations and boost trade was announced to coincide with Cameron's visit.

The issue of terrorism has sort of become a permanent fixture in all bilateral and multi-lateral meetings and with convincing reasons. As such, it was normal for both UK and India to reflect on the issue and welcome the cooperation in battling it. But, what came as an addition to the normal, “we condemn all acts of terrorism” part, were the British PM’s direct remarks on the threats of terrorist activities sourced from Pakistani soil.

Cameron comments were music to Indian ears but made the Pakistani Establishment furious. "We cannot tolerate in any sense the idea that this country(Pakistan) is allowed to look both ways and is able, in any way, to promote the export of terror, whether to India or whether to Afghanistan or anywhere else in the world," Cameron said

Adding, "It's unacceptable for anything to happen within Pakistan that's about supporting terrorism elsewhere. And it's well documented that that has been the case in the past." Cameron's remarks came amidst the leak of US documents to Internet whistleblower site WikiLeaks accusing Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of secretly helping Afghan insurgency while Islamabad receives billions of US aid for counter terrorism.

Pakistan's intelligence agency Chief scrapped his visit to Britain in protest against Cameron's comments. Notwithstanding,  Islamabad’s remonstration London made it plain that it stood by its Prime Minister’s remarks. Said a spokeswoman, “He (Cameron) was referring to elements within Pakistan supporting terrorism and not the Pakistan Government.”

Both sides also agreed that India and UK had much to gain from co-operation in education, science and research and the new jointly-funded collaborative research programmes. The two Governments agreed to launch a new phase of the successful UK-India Education and Research Initiative.

But, the issue of putting a cap on migrants from non-EU countries has sparked a major debate. The Union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma made plain that this could have an adverse effect on trade relations between UK and India and hit Indian doctors, nurses and engineers seeking employment in the UK.

The British Business Secretary Vince Cable too made it clear that he, among others, was concerned that the new policy could be too restrictive. Though Cameron said that it was "perfectly legitimate" for Cable to argue his case, he added, "we decide these things in a Cabinet, in a reasonable and sensible way". The British PM also asserted that New Delhi was among the bodies being consulted about the level at which the cap should be set.

This issue might be of critical importance in the coming days. Primarily, how the British Government looks for increasing trade and investments from countries like India but continues to seriously devise a policy to limit the number of non-EU newcomers. The debate rages and the final policy statement is still due. So it is best not to give a final verdict on it.

Meanwhile India and the US have signed an agreement on nuclear fuel reprocessing arrangements, thus furthering the process of implementing the milestone Indo-US nuclear deal. Given the circumstances wherein Indo-US ties have hogged the limelight when it comes to Indian engagement with the western world, India-UK relations need to find its own space and areas of mutuality. But, it needs reassessing the areas of convergences and divergences to create an atmosphere where the two countries would pragmatically raise the levels of engagement, where even differences of opinion over certain issues could be put in perspective and understood in the context of their rationale and the interests driving them. Such an understanding would keep alive the dynamics of the relationship even at times of adversity. ---- INFA

(Copyright, India News and Feature Alliance)