24 AUGUST 2015: Sushma to visit Egypt

ؠؠ The list had 54 fugitives, up from the 50 in 2012. India was planning to hand it over to Pakistan during the talks between the National Security Advisers of the two nations, which was cancelled amid high drama. The list of fugitives taking shelter in the neighbouring country was number one on India’s agenda for the discussions, followed by a heavy file, or dossier, on underworld gangster Dawood Ibrahim and the pending trial in the 26/11 Mumbai attack case. Quoting copiously the interrogation details of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) operative David Coleman Headley, who helped plot the Mumbai attacks of 2008, India made a watertight case to corner Pakistan regarding its apathetic approach to the trial. India’s argument was that under the United Nations Security Resolution and being a member of the Commonwealth Committee on Terrorism, Pakistan was bound to take action against the accused. India would have taken up the repeated reminders sent to Pakistan for help in the investigation, one as recently as May. India has on the list names of at least nine accused, among them Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed and LeT commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, who walked out of a Pakistani jail in May and have gone underground.

Ø  Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is confident and hopeful that the political situation in Sri Lanka following the August 17 general election, although complex, is favourable for forging an enduring political solution to the Tamil question. Noting that the two main national parties, his United National Party and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, and the Tamil National Alliance were “the three key players” in formulating the proposals for an enduring solution, he said he had “tried to keep the UNP position flexible so that we can bridge the differences.” Responding to a question on former President Chandrika Kumaratunga, he confirmed that she would have a significant role to play in this regard. The Sri Lankan political situation has taken an interesting turn with the narrow victory of the United National Party in the general election, its leader being sworn in as Prime Minister for the fourth time, and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the two main parties, the UNP and the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, paving the way for a ‘unity’ or national government. A day after he assumed office, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe spoke to The Hindu at Temple Trees on a wide range of issues, including the project of working out a new Constitution for Sri Lanka, finding an enduring political solution to the Tamil question, and livelihood, development, and human rights issues.

Ø  Fishermen putting out to sea from any of the coastal States in India will soon be equipped with precise information on the weather, the state of the sea, and potential fishing zones. The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is gearing up to augment its network of wave buoys and tide gauges for ocean forecast and climate studies. The network generates real-time information on waves, tides, ocean currents, tsunami, and sea surface temperature, as well as movement of fish shoals. The input is supplemented by satellite data to generate forecasts and early warning that are relayed to fishermen through a website and mobile alerts. The data can also be used for climate studies, coastal zone management, oil exploration, navigation, and rescue operations at sea. Director, INCOIS, S.S.C. Shenoi told The Hindu that five more wave rider buoys would be installed to supplement the existing network of 11 buoys. “We are planning to install buoys off the coast of West Bengal and Maharashtra shortly.” Dr. Shenoi, who was in the city to participate in a national workshop on climate change, said 10 new tide gauges would be installed to study tides, storm surges, and sea level rise. INCOIS has a network of 21 tide gauges installed with funds from the Indian Tsunami Early Warning Project. Scientists at INCOIS are also developing a regional climate model to study the warming of the Indian Ocean and its effect on the Asian monsoon. Dr. Shenoi said the model would be used to assess the impact of heat transport from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean.

Ø   Revival of civilisational ties and trade will dominate discussions, but India and Egypt are also likely to focus on terror — a common concern — when External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj arrives in Cairo on Monday for a two-day visit. Government sources said both countries were keen on stitching together an alliance against terror, which poses a threat to their attempts to give a fillip to trade and economy. During her meeting with President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi, Ms. Swaraj is expected to raise the issue. She will hold bilateral talks with her counterpart, Sameh Shoukry, and will deliver a public address at the Diplomatic Club, Cairo, hosted by the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs. India has recently announced a strategic partnership with the UAE, China and several Western nations to build a bulwark against terror. Cairo too faces threat from terror outfits that support the Islamic State (IS) and have a presence in neighbouring Libya. There has been an upsurge in terror attacks in Egypt since the ouster of former President Mohammed Morsi and the subsequent crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood. While External Affairs Ministry officials described the visit as an attempt to renew civilisational ties, foreign policy watchers said that in the absence of renewed engagement, old ties had stagnated over time. A sign of New Delhi warming to Egypt was seen when Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose Transport Highways and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari to represent India at the inaugural ceremony of the new Suez Canal in Egypt on August 6. Mr. Gadkari’s presence was a message that India, which has had “traditionally warm and friendly ties” with Egypt, wants to “reinforce New Delhi’s continued high-level engagement and political commitment to Egypt under the al-Sisi government”. On the trade and economy front, both nations are keen to strengthen their engagement. According to the Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics, India is Egypt’s sixth largest trade partner and the trade increased from $0.73 billion in 2002-03 to $4.95 billion in 2013-14. The top five Indian exports during 2013-14 were meat, petroleum crude and products, transport equipment, cotton yarn, machinery and instruments.