craig_west72

I've said it before and I say it again...Indian government is too
stupid and keeps getting it wrong all the time. They should have sent
troops to Iraq without question. You can always count on Indian
government to get it wrong all the time.

India May Face Stringent US Riders On Defence Purchases

Huma Siddiqui

New Delhi, Sept 4: India's refusal to send troops to Iraq could have
a strong fall-out in the form of stringent riders being attached to
defence purchases from the US.

Though there is no such clause in the present US defence export
guidelines, it has introduced with immediate effect these provisions
starting with India, the Defence Policy Group (DPG) was told in
Washington last month.

Defence officials told FE the Bush administration has asked India to
reveal "even the minutest" details of how New Delhi is planning the
usage of equipment delivered by Washington.

However, MEA officials said they were clear that these were only
pressure tactics and India had no intention of giving in. They pointed
out that the US had no such reservation regarding the recent AN/TPQ
fire-finder radars India has purchased. Though MEA officials have said
that each such action should not be related to troops. "We are not
sending troops and no one can pressurise us to send them."

According to industry sources, the immediate victim could be the sale
of P-3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft, which India plans to buy
from US-based Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company.

Though, according to a veteran US watcher, the idea may simply be to
soothe Pakistani nerves that would surely jangle over the sale of US
equipment to India.

According to Dr G Balachandran, defence analyst, "the US could be
slightly nudging the government to send troops to Iraq." This could be
significant since this comes ahead of the UNSC resolution which would
allow troops to go to Iraq, he added.

A number of areas were outlined for continued and deepening security
cooperation between the two countries during the DPG. Although no arms
sales were finalised at the meeting, the two sides agreed to continue
to explore potential foreign military sales accords.

The US has also promised to review India's counter-terrorism equipment
needs for its special operations forces, as well as look at additional
equipment for peacekeeping troops. US officials have emphasised that
only equipment viewed as "defensive" would be considered for possible
sale.

Although not mentioned as part of the DPG, the US State Department
confirmed that the country has no objections to the Israeli transfer
of the Phalcon airborne early-warning system to India.

Also understood to be under consideration separately is the provision
to India of SM-2 ship-based theatre defence missiles, as well as a
deep submergence rescue vehicle.

The officials further agreed to continue dialogue on possible
ballistic missile defence issues, with a workshop on the topic to be
held in India within six months. Both sides will also participate in a
July 2004 multinational missile defence conference to be held in
Berlin that follows on from a similar June 2003 workshop in Japan
attended by US and Indian representatives.

India has also agreed to take part in the 2005 annual ‘Roving Sands'
air and missile defence exercise at White Sands Missile Range, New
Mexico. US and Indian forces have a number of joint exercises planned
in the coming year to help improve their interoperability.