§ Mr. DavidsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the Delhi Declaration. [66171]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienAs my hon. Friend, the Member for Exeter (Mr. Bradshaw), stated in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Stockton South (Dari Taylor) on 16 April 2002,Official Report, column 829W, the New Delhi Declaration of 6 January 2002 represents a new high-water mark in the strong and vibrant relationship between the United Kingdom and India. This relationship has been marked in recent months by better co-operation in a variety of areas of common interest.
We remain committed to increasing co-operation with India under the provisions set out in the Declaration, and are confident it will help to further strengthen UK/Indian relations.
§ Mr. DavidsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of India about combating terrorism. [66174]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienWe discuss terrorism with the Indian government on a regular basis. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, has a regular dialogue on terrorism with his counterparts in the Indian Ministries for External and Home Affairs. The Foreign Secretary has spoken with Indian Ministers on the telephone on a number of occasions recently about the tension between India and Pakistan and terrorism. Terrorism was also high on the agenda when he visited New Delhi in May. The Foreign Secretary will continue this dialogue with the in coming Indian Foreign Minister, Yashwant Sinha. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister also discussed terrorism with Indian Prime Minister Vajpayee during his visit to India in January. During this visit the two Prime Ministers agreed to enhance significantly our co-operation on combating terrorism. In addition to these contracts, the UK-India Joint Working Group on Terrorism meets every six months at official level to discuss international terrorism and opportunities for co-operation and training. The last meeting of the Group was in April in London.