New Delhi
7 March 2006
United States President George Bush may have wanted to see India
"stand with reformers and dissidents and civil society organisations" in countries like
Myanmar but the head of state of the world's largest democracy will be travelling to
Yangon on Wednesday with other considerations in mind.
"There are very good reasons why India must remain engaged with Myanmar," Foreign
Secretary Shyam Saran told reporters on the eve of the first ever visit by a president of
India to that country. "There are important economic stakes," he said, referring to energy,
space, telecom, transportation and defence ties.
The foreign secretary clarified that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has "explained
the importance of [this] relationship" to President Bush. Mr Saran also said that it would
not accurate to suggest that New Delhi's Myanmar policy was driven by rivalry with
China. "[The ties] stand on their own," he observed.
Nevertheless, Mr Saran acknowledged albeit reluctantly that Aung San Suu Kyi's release
would further the process of democratisation of Myanmar. "Due respect should be given
to her," he said and welcomed the commitment of the military leadership to restoration of
multi-party democracy.
"We welcomed the national convention process [but] it should be as inclusive as
possible" in the interest of credibility, he said. That was about all he would offer to
comment on the democracy or the lack of it in a country with which India shared a 1,400-
km-long land border.
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam will visit Myanmar from March 8 to 10 at the invitation of the
chairman of the State Peace and Development Council, Senior General Than Shwe. Vice
President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat toured Yangon in November 2003 and Senior
General Than Shwe visited New Delhi in October 2004.
In the President's visit, India will agree to set up a ground station in Myanmar for
receiving data from Indian remote sensing satellite, agree on an arrangement for
evacuation of natural gas produced in certain exploration blocks in the Arakan province
and execute a multi-modal transportation project.
The President will travel to Mauritius on March 11 where he will be the chief guest on the
Mauritian Republic Day anniversary. He will return home on March 13.
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