Australian Minister to seek sharing of terror data

Australia's Defence Minister Brendan Nelson will arrive in Delhi on Tuesday to finalise, among other things, an arrangement between the two countries for sharing classified information on fighting terrorism.

Australia’s Defence Minister Brendan Nelson will arrive in Delhi on Tuesday to finalise, among other things, an arrangement between the two countries for sharing classified information on fighting terrorism.

While Nelson’s visit was planned before Bangalore-based Dr Mohammad Haneef was arrested in Brisbane over the foiled UK bomb plot, the issue is expected to figure during talks with External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee Defence Minister A K Antony and later this week.

The focus, however, will be on giving practical shape to defence co-operation plans that were chalked out

between India, Australia, Japan, and US in Manila in May this year. The talks, which were kept low-key, are seen as the start of a US-led pact to contain China.

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In talks with Mukherjee, Nelson will dwell on practical measures for sharing counter-terrorism and maritime security data.

The two countries will also draw up plans for joint exercises in the Indian Ocean, Asia Pacific, and “broader international environments.”

Growing Indo-Australian ties have raised concerns in China, which is seeing a “strategic encirclement” of the country. But before arriving in Delhi, Nelson met his Chinese counterpart to reassure him that Canberra was not forming a regional defence pact with Japan and India.

However, defence cooperation between the countries is on the way up, with the Australian defence policy — released a day before Nelson left for his tour — emphasising strategic relationships with “nations such as Japan, Indonesia and India.”

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“The defence relationship between the countries is primarily maritime and there have been frequent interactions between our navies. A mechanism was set up this year for staff level talks and we have been invited to observe their ‘Kakadu’ table top exercise,” a senior official said.

The Australian Navy Chief Russ S Shaldern is scheduled to visit the country in August as part of the “upswing” in naval interactions. Several port calls by both navies have also been planned out in the near future.