http://www.dnaindia.com/world/report_obama-dispatches-gates-to-india-to-upgrade-military-ties_1336423
Daily News & Analysis January 19, 2010 Obama dispatches Gates to India to upgrade military ties Uttara Choudhury -India bought $3.5 billion of US weaponry in 2008. For the US, securing arms deals brings many advantages including the fact that such links make it easier to operate with allies that use similar equipment. NEW YORK: US defence secretary Robert Gates is expected to arrive in New Delhi on Tuesday, seeking to upgrade the Obama administration’s ties with India through military cooperation. His first visit in nearly two years is aimed at jump-starting talks on hanging defence pacts. It will be the first high-level talks between the two countries since prime minister Manmohan Singh sat down with president Barack Obama at the White House in November. Pentagon officials, briefing reporters ahead of the trip, said Gates will meet Singh, external affairs minister SM Krishna, and defence minister AK Antony. “We obviously view India as a regional power and emerging global power,” a senior defence official told reporters. “The key objective of the trip is to emphasise the importance of this bilateral relationship, and the role defence relations play in advancing the strategic partnership.” The Pentagon chief had planned to visit Australia over the weekend, before flying to India, but cancelled that leg of his trip to direct US relief work in quake-hit Haiti. .... India bought $3.5 billion of US weaponry in 2008. For the US, securing arms deals brings many advantages including the fact that such links make it easier to operate with allies that use similar equipment. Gates’s visit comes in the wake of India writing a letter of interest to the US government for the acquisition of 10 C-17 aircraft worth over $2 billion. Gates, who was last in India in 2008 — when he held the same post as defence chief for the Bush administration — is likely to make a strong pitch for US defence firms. [The] US is courting India, the world’s 10th largest defence buyer, and is looking to spend over $50 billion over five years to modernise its army. =========================== Stop NATO http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato Blog site: http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/ To subscribe, send an e-mail to: [email protected] or [email protected] Daily digest option available. ==============================
