ID :
146627
Tue, 10/19/2010 - 16:16
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/146627
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France seeks India’s co-op to counter sea piracy
New Delhi, Oct 19, IRNA – France sought India’s continued cooperation in the fight against the sea brigands in the Gulf of Aden, apart from sharing concerns over the security situation in Afghanistan and the South Asian region.
'As the largest democracy of the world, India can be the central player in starting a regional dialog and this was one of the topics of my discussion with the Indian leadership on Monday', said French Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Edouard Guillaud at a press conference in New Delhi after his meetings with the Indian security top brass.
He will be visiting Mumbai to inspect the French-aided Scorpene submarine construction at the Mazagon Docks today, pti reported.
'There are certain common challenges for France and India -- safety and security of Indian Ocean...where piracy is widespread, situation in Afghanistan, terrorism in the region such as the Mumbai attacks,' he said after the meetings.
Noting that Arab crisis, terrorism and pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden were posing 'a great challenge' to global peace and stability, he said the India-initiated Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) was an example of regional dialogue that could foster greater understanding, cooperation among nations of the region to meet the threats.
On Afghanistan, Guillaud refused to give away the specifics of his discussions with the Indian leadership, but said India was committed to the cause of peace and stability there and that France sought its help in ensuring the Afghan people were 'ready to decide their own fate.'
On the supposed US forces withdrawal from Afghanistan in the mid-2011, the French defence chief said that was not his understanding of American President Barack Obama's policy announcement in the middle of last year.
He said it had been amply clarified that 'suitable conditions' in Afghanistan should favour withdrawal and this assessment was in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force's (ISAF) leadership.
On Pakistan's role in Afghanistan, Adm Guillaud said he favoured 'any process of reconciliation' in Kabul and that Islamabad was 'part of the solution and not not part of the problem'.
He also said that the French would, whenever required, make available naval port facilities in Djibouti in the Indian Ocean to Indian warships, and announced that French nuclear powered aircraft carrier 'Charles de Gaulle' would join a bilateral naval exercise off India in early 2011.
Guillaud had met National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma and Army Chief General V K Singh during the day, as part of his four-day visit that began on Saturday./end
'As the largest democracy of the world, India can be the central player in starting a regional dialog and this was one of the topics of my discussion with the Indian leadership on Monday', said French Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Edouard Guillaud at a press conference in New Delhi after his meetings with the Indian security top brass.
He will be visiting Mumbai to inspect the French-aided Scorpene submarine construction at the Mazagon Docks today, pti reported.
'There are certain common challenges for France and India -- safety and security of Indian Ocean...where piracy is widespread, situation in Afghanistan, terrorism in the region such as the Mumbai attacks,' he said after the meetings.
Noting that Arab crisis, terrorism and pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden were posing 'a great challenge' to global peace and stability, he said the India-initiated Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) was an example of regional dialogue that could foster greater understanding, cooperation among nations of the region to meet the threats.
On Afghanistan, Guillaud refused to give away the specifics of his discussions with the Indian leadership, but said India was committed to the cause of peace and stability there and that France sought its help in ensuring the Afghan people were 'ready to decide their own fate.'
On the supposed US forces withdrawal from Afghanistan in the mid-2011, the French defence chief said that was not his understanding of American President Barack Obama's policy announcement in the middle of last year.
He said it had been amply clarified that 'suitable conditions' in Afghanistan should favour withdrawal and this assessment was in the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force's (ISAF) leadership.
On Pakistan's role in Afghanistan, Adm Guillaud said he favoured 'any process of reconciliation' in Kabul and that Islamabad was 'part of the solution and not not part of the problem'.
He also said that the French would, whenever required, make available naval port facilities in Djibouti in the Indian Ocean to Indian warships, and announced that French nuclear powered aircraft carrier 'Charles de Gaulle' would join a bilateral naval exercise off India in early 2011.
Guillaud had met National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon, Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshal P V Naik, Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma and Army Chief General V K Singh during the day, as part of his four-day visit that began on Saturday./end
