NEW DELHI, Nov 9: India reportedly thumbed its nose at a US proposal to become Washington’s “foremost military ally” and a “counterweight” to China and Muslim states in the region, India Today magazine said on Friday.
In a press statement released here, India Today Editor Prabhu Chawla said he had “confidential documents” which showed Washington had approached Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee with a proposal for a major military alliance.
“India’s cabinet committee on security (CCS) deliberated on this at their meeting on Oct 19 and Nov 3 and rejected the proposals,” the statement said.
The magazine said US President George Bush’s proposal would have, in effect, made India the foremost military ally of the United States in Asia.
“It envisaged a central role for India as a counterweight to China on the one hand and the Islamic states of West Asia on the other,” said the magazine.
“The US had proposed military bases in India for training its forces and these included the establishment of a naval firing range and land training facilities.”
The magazine added that in addition, Washington wanted the Indian navy to safeguard American interests from the Arabian Sea to the Straits of Malacca by providing escort for its naval supply ships.
“In the event of these ships being attacked, the Indian navy was expected to engage the enemy,” said the magazine.
The US proposal also included the establishment of joint communication networks.
The political news magazine added that despite India’s initial rejection, the proposal for greater Indo-US military cooperation could dominate talks between Vajpayee and Bush at the White House.
“Apart from hinting that military cooperation could figure during the agenda of the Vajpayee-Bush talks in the White House on Friday, officials in both countries are tightlipped,” said the magazine.—AFP
