B.RAMAN
The Prime Minister, Dr.Manmohan Singh, has gone to
Teheran to attend the summit of the Non-Aligned Movement. His participation in
the summit will provide him with an opportunity to meet leaders from important
countries of the NAM and to have another round of bilateral talks with
President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan. Even if nothing substantive and
substantial comes out of his meeting with Zardari, it will still be useful to
keep the bilateral dialogue process going despite Pakistan’s uncooperative
attitude in dealing with terrorism and Psyjihad emanating from Pakistani
territory.
2.India no longer plays the kind of leadership role
in NAM as it used to in the past. We don’t have to shed tears over it. While
multilateral relationships are still important in economic matters, bilateral relations
need to have greater priority in our national interest.
3. We have to carefully weigh the relative
importance of our bilateral relations with Israel, the US and Iran before
deciding whether any new policy initiatives are required in our relations with
Iran. I do not think so.
4. We tend to be emotional in discussing our
relations with Iran with deep nostalgic references to the civilizational links
with Iran. Iranian leaders and analysts too
talk of this civilizational relationship, but without any sign of
nostalgia or emotion.
5. When Iran decided to start a covert war against
Israel through acts of terrorism against Israeli nationals and interests in the
territories of other countries having an Israeli presence, it chose India as
one of its anti-Israeli covert warfare grounds. It tried to orchestrate the
killing of an Israeli national working in the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi last
February.
6. It did not allow any nostalgic or emotional
attachment to its relations with India to come in the way of its sponsoring an
act of terrorism against an Israeli national in our territory. It would not
hesitate to sponsor another act of terrorism against Israel in our territory if
a favourable opportunity presented itself without bothering about its impact on
its bilateral ties with India.
7.Our strategic and national security interests
should be the decisive factor in our policy-making towards Israel, the US and
Iran. Yes, Iran has been an important factor in our energy security. But in
other dimensions of national security, its role has been minimal and will
continue to be so. It has no security-related modern technology. Its attitude
on Pakistan-sponsored terrorism against India has been ambivalent. Its support
for Indian interests in Afghanistan is uncertain. If it acquires a Shia A-bomb,
we will be faced with Sunni as well as
Shia bombs.
8.Our strategic and national security interests
should dictate a careful nursing of our relations with Israel and the US, both
of which have been more beneficial to us than Iran. Both have modern
security-related technologies. Israel has never hesitated to share its
technologies with India----even sensitive ones. The US is not as willing as
Israel, but its attitude should improve as our bilateral relations improve. We
have common strong interests with Israel and the US in countering jihadi
terrorism. The intelligence agencies of India, Israel and the US have had a
long history of co-operation in the exchange of intelligence. India shares a
common interest with Israel and the US in monitoring and countering malign
nuclear developments in Pakistan and Iran.
9. We should maintain our present economic
relations with Iran so long as international circumstances and Iran’s
willingness permit it. Where the importance of our economic relations with Iran
come into conflict with the requirements of our national security, which demand
continued close relations with Israel and the US, strategic and security
considerations should prevail over economic.
10. If one day Iran stops its energy supplies to
India, we can find alternate sources. But if we allow emotional considerations
relating to Iran affect the strengthening of our strategic and national
security related ties with Israel and the US, we cannot find equally beneficial
and dependable alternate strategic partners. ( 28-8-12)
(The writer
is Additional Secretary (retd), Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. of India, New Delhi,
and, presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate
of the Chennai Centre For China Studies. E-mail: seventyone2@gmail.com Twitter @SORBONNE75)
