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India, Iran get closer to counter Pak, Afghanistan

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh is on a five-day visit to Teheran, to forge closer ties with Iran, given the convergence of views on many issues, especially the civil war in Afghanistan. Teheran and New Delhi support the Northern Alliance, which is fighting the Taliban forces, who are supported by Pakistan.

"It is the old Chanakyan principle: my enemy's enemy is my friend. Iran, like India, opposes the Taliban. Both are backing the Northern Alliance and are keen to ensure that the Taliban does not succeed in Afghanistan," said sources in the external affairs ministry.

India fears the Taliban as a supporter of religious fundamentalism whose ideology could affect Kashmir, while predominantly Shiite Iran is against the hardline Sunni Taliban. The Afghanistan situation dominated talks between Jaswant Singh and Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, which were held on Monday and Tuesday.

On Afghanistan, India and Iran have limited support to diplomatic rather than overt military help. But on this visit, sources said, both may initiate a defence tie-up that could be the beginning of a deeper agreement.

In Teheran, Singh called Iran a 'natural partner', clearly signalling common meeting ground. "A natural ally is not yet a strategic ally, but it is a big step for both and could lead to further interaction," the sources said.

Singh, who began his visit on May 22, is to meet other top leaders, including Foreign Minister Mohammad Ali Kharrazy.

The sources said that besides common concern about over a Taliban victory in Afghanistan, India is keen to showcase its good relations with Iran to win over various Muslims countries.

"Our relations with Iran are historic, stretching back millennia, and we thus have a lot in common. We can use these common factors to deepen and widen relations and reach out to other Muslim countries," they added.

Besides strategic concerns in Afghanistan, there are major economic issues at stake. With American sanctions, imposed in 1979 when its embassy in Teheran was seized by students, still in place, Iran is increasingly looking to other sources to meet its economic needs.

Iran is seeking to buy what it cannot manufacture, like machine tools and digital items, from India. Iran, which has 15 per cent of the world's petroleum reserves, is also keen to sell oil to India, whose demand is growing.

"India's energy demands are growing exponentially and it is important to keep on good terms countries that can meet this demand. Iran is one such country," the sources said.

More than just Iran, it is the vast and as yet untapped reserves of Central Asia which India is eyeing. But the key question is transporting that oil and gas to India. Shipping, the current method, is slow and cumbersome.

India and Iran are keen to construct a pipeline to carry the oil and gas, but it will have to run through Pakistan.

"Obviously, no one in India today is even looking at such a possibility. Before Kargil, India had almost agreed to let the pipeline run through Pakistan. Now, the suggestion has simply been thrown out of the window," the sources said.

An option now is to construct an underwater pipeline, beyond Pakistan's exclusive economic zone, but that will be too costly.

Iran also lacks technical expertise and is seeking assistance for many projects. Thus, accompanying Jaswant Singh is a battery of officials from the ministries of petroleum, railways and steel.

"They don't just need machinery, but help to upgrade factories and plants, where technology has been frozen since the Americans left 20 years back," the sources pointed out.

Jaswant Singh and Kharrazy inaugurated a joint council, which will work on bilateral relations. A business council too will also be set up to strengthen economic ties.

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