NATIONAL 6 -(Spotlight Weekly)]

Beyond Good Will

Will Indian Defense and Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh’s visit help Nepal and India sort out their problems?

By A CORRESPONDENT

In the aftermath of the June 1 killings in Narayanhity royal palace, formation of a new government led by Sher Bahadur Deuba and, most importantly, the truce between the government and Maoist rebels, one of India’s most powerful ministers, Jaswant Singh, is set to pay an official visit to Nepal.

Indian Minister Singh : For neighborly chat

Singh, who holds the foreign and defense portfolios, will start his three-day visit from August 17. He is scheduled to meet new King Gyanendra, Prime Minister Deuba who also holds the foreign and defense ministries.

Although officials at Shital Nivas say this is just a good will visit, diplomatic and security experts see a wider ambit. Two years ago, Singh visited Nepal as foreign minister. This time he is arriving armed with the defense portfolio as well.

Nepal and India have many issues to resolve, including complications in renewing their trade treaty and water inundation and border demarcation problems. However, Singh’s visit will mostly focus on security issues. As a leading expert of Indian security, Singh is expected to repeat India’s growing security concerns vis-à-vis Nepal. He is expected to raise New Delhi’s sensitivities over alleged anti-India activities being carried out from Nepal by Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence.

At a time when the Indian media are portraying Nepal as a safe haven for anti-Indian forces, it would be difficult to expect Singh to break out of this mind-set. While the Indian team is coming with a clear agenda, Nepalese officials are yet to prepare themselves for the talks.

Singh’s visit would also provide an important opportunity for both countries to understand each other better. Relations between Nepal, the world's only Hindu kingdom, and India, rule by a coalition government led by the pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party, are at a low ebb. Singh, who has handled key national and international security issues for Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s government, will stress security issues, says a foreign policy analyst. Along with other bilateral issues, Singh is also expected to hold consultations on convening the much-delayed SAARC summit in Kathmandu.

"As a goodwill visit, we don’t have a particular agenda for talks," says a senior official of Nepal’s Foreign Ministry. "But the government will discuss bilateral issues."

Whatever the nature of the visit, Singh’s visit will have a definite impact on bilateral relations. As India is showing little flexibility on its stand vis-à-vis Nepal, the kingdom can expect testing times in dealing with its giant southern neighbor.