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Germany all set to roll red carpet on Narayanan's first tour since Pokhran II

Amberish K Diwanji in New Delhi

President K R Narayanan begins his first foreign visit after India went nuclear on Sunday, when he pays a state visit to Germany, Portugal, Luxembourg and Turkey for a fortnight. His visit to Germany, in particular, assumes significance since Bonn had criticised the Pokhran blasts on May 11 and 13.

External affairs ministry officials pointed out that while such state visits are planned and often scheduled well in advance, the fact that they are going ahead itself speaks for the fact that New Delhi's viewpoint on the need for conducting nuclear tests has gone down well, even if Germany remains critical on record.

Officials said right after the nuclear blasts, Germany had strongly condemned India along with the rest of the world. However, in what is seen as a positive note, Germany did not impose sanctions nor did it cut off aid to India. In fact, say the officials, over the weeks following Pokhran II, Bonn's reaction has become muted and more accepting of India's stance. "Business has been as usual with Germany," said a senior MEA official.

Proof came in the fact that a month after Pokhran II, the German parliament ratified a bilateral Investment Protection Agreement. Two more treaties are due to be signed -- one extradition treaty aimed at terrorists, and another on Agenda 2001 and Beyond -- though both will not be inked during Narayanan's visit.

Clearly, Germany is the biggest and most important country in the President's itinerary and Narayanan will spend five day days visiting Bonn, Berlin and Baden Baden. It is also India's second largest trading partner (after the United States), while India's trade with the European Union as a whole is the maximum.

MEA officials insisted that even though Germany was due to go to the polls shortly, it would have no bearing on the visit.

Besides meeting German President Roman Herzog and Chancellor Helmut Kohl, Narayanan is also due to meet German intellectuals and business leaders, besides laying the foundation stone for the chancery of the Indian embassy in Berlin. The German capital is scheduled to shift from Bonn to Berlin in 2000.

The visit to Portugal comes at a time when that country is celebrating in a grand way the 500th anniversary of Vasco da Gama's discovery of a sea route to India. However, with many Indians and other Afro-Asian countries considering the event a tragedy which led to colonialism and related ills, the President will steer clear of those functions and commemoration.

Instead, MEA officials said, Narayanan will attend the Expo '98, an exhibition celebrating sea travel and ocean journeys around the globe. India too has a stall at the Expo '98 -- titled Samudra Manthan. During the President's visit, India and Portugal will sign a treaty on avoiding double taxation.

Incidentally, there are about 70,000 persons of Indian origins in Portugal, though only 2,000 now hold Indian passports. Most of them are migrants or descendants of migrants from the former Portuguese colony of Goa. Portugal is also one of the rare countries that has not reacted officially to India's nuclear tests, something that pleases the MEA officials.

Luxembourg is one of the world's smallest countries, its citizens among the richest. MEA officials said that among the many bilateral discussions between the President and Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean Claude Juncker, one topic that might come up is India's permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council. This comes in the wake of Juncker's unilateral statement last year that he considered India a prime candidate as and when the UN Security Council should be expanded.

On his last leg of the tour, Narayanan will spend about six days in Turkey. MEA officials said in Turkey, the President will be joined by a seven-member business group which is to be still finalised. The officials stressed the growing trade ties between the two countries and the fact that both are democratic and secular, flanking countries that are otherwise.

An area of concern for both countries is the unstable environment of Central Asia. MEA officials admitted that during the discussion between the President and his Turkish counterpart, or with the Turkish prime minister, Afghanistan will be mentioned, and likely impact it will have on the surrounding regions, especially Central Asia. Incidentally, most of the Central Asian countries have ethnic links to Turkey, and Ankara has been keen to peddle its influence in the region.

India and Turkey are also keen to seek out energy sources in that region. The Oil and Natural Gas Commission has a tie-up with its Turkish counterpart to explore in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Seven bilateral agreements are due to be signed during Narayanan's visit.

Narayanan carries a gift with him to the Turkish city of Izmir, where he will name a park after Mahatma Gandhi on his visit. His gift on behalf of India is a two-year-old elephant.

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