Bali (Indonesia), Oct 06: Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee arrived here today on a three-day visit to attend India's second summit with Asean, a major regional grouping, with which New Delhi would sign three key agreements for cooperation in combating terrorism and boosting economic linkages. The Prime Minister was accorded a red-carpet welcome and the guard of honour by personnel of the Indonesian army on his arrival here. Vajpayee, who is heading a high-level delegation including External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha and National Security Adviser Brajesh Mishra, is scheduled to meet his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao and Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri on the sidelines of the October 08 summit. This would be Vajpayee's second meeting with the Chinese leader in three months. The Prime Minister is also expected to hold several other bilateral meetings with leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean). The issue of terrorism, the situation in Iraq, Middle East and Afghanistan, restructuring of the UN and steps to enhance economic cooperation would be high on the agenda of Vajpayee's bilateral parleys.
According a fresh impetus to New Delhi's 'look east' policy, a joint declaration against terrorism, a framework agreement on comprehensive economic cooperation, leading to an Asean-India free trade area in ten years, and India's accession to the Asean treaty on amity and cooperation in South East Asia would be signed with the ten-nation grouping during Vajpayee's stay in this Indonesian resort.
Asean comprises of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, Brunei and Laos.
In the second leg of his two-nation tour, the Prime Minister would fly to Bangkok on October 08. He would hold wide-ranging talks with his Thai counterpart Thaksin Shinawatra on a host of issues including the fight against terrorism, UN reforms and other issues of mutual interest. The Thai leader has visited India twice.
Law Minister Arun Jaitley is expected to join the Prime Minister's delegation in Bangkok.
Thailand is attaching great significance to Vajpayee's four-day visit, the first prime ministerial one in ten years with the last being by P V Narasimha Rao in 1993.
Strengthening their bilateral ties, India and Thailand would sign five accords including those on cooperation in agricultural science, tourism, biotechnology and on exemption of visa requirements for official passport holders.
The two sides would also ink a framework agreement to usher in a free trade accord relating to goods, services and trade facilitation. During his stay, Vajpayee would address a special session of the Thai Parliament, the first-ever by any foreign leader.
Ahead of the Asean summit, Vajpayee would also participate in Asean Business and Investors' Forum on October 07.
Officials said the framework agreement was a "major breakthrough" in Indo-Asean relations and should contribute significantly to an increasing integration of the economic space over the coming years, including a free trade agreement.
Bureau Report