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| India-Pakistan |
| Indian communists seethe as IAF Red Flag drill with USAF okayed |
| 2007-10-26 |
| In a move that is certain to ratchet up the UPA-Left confrontation, defence minister A K Antony, brushing aside the reservations expressed by the ruling combineÂ’s most vital prop, on Thursday gave his "in principle" go-ahead to the Indian Air Force to participate in a joint exercise with the United States Air Force. The proposed exercise, Red Flag, is considered the most powerful, and important, fixture in the calendar of the US Air Force. The invitation extended by it to its Indian counterpart is demonstrative of the closer defence ties between the two countries. The Left, expectedly, saw red in the Manmohan Singh governmentÂ’s decision. "What the government is doing is wrong," asserted CPI general secretary A B Bardhan, adding, "We cannot be a partner to such plans." The CPI leaderÂ’s remarks held out ominous portends for the fate of the Manmohan Singh government. Given the LeftÂ’s avowed anti-Americanism, the move is certain to add to the simmering tension between the two "secular" groupings. The government, however, stood its ground, and has decided to go ahead with the exercise, notwithstanding the Left opposition. Justifying his stand, the defence Minister said, "We have to follow the trend all over the world. The trend all over the world is modernisation of equipment and also technology and better training. We are comparing what action other countries are undertaking with ours. We also want to follow the best practices. Military interaction with the US will continue." The move has wider ramifications for the Indo-US defence ties, and signals the Congress-led allianceÂ’s determination to press ahead with its plans. Air Chief Marshal Fali Homi Major, interestingly, has been waiting for the defence ministryÂ’s clearance for going ahead with the joint air exercises with the US. Speaking to TIMES NOW, the Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee, Admiral Sureesh Mehta has also confirmed that Indo-US military co-operation will continue unabated. The CPI general secretary is clearly not amused. "What the government is doing is wrong. American war plans are aggressive and are always against smaller nations. We cannot be a partner in such plans," he said. Having tasted blood in stand-off with the Manmohan Singh government over the Indo-US nuclear deal, the Left parties are now clearly determined to have their way in seeking the scrapping of the proposed joint exercise. |
| Posted by:john frum |
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| Posted by: Sherry 2007-10-26 22:54 |
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| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2007-10-26 20:26 |
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| Posted by: DarthVader 2007-10-26 17:26 |
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| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2007-10-26 16:36 |
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| Posted by: mojo 2007-10-26 16:23 |
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| Posted by: gromky 2007-10-26 15:29 |