Adelaide, Aug 27: External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha arrived in Australia today on a four-day official visit during which he will hold high-level talks with Prime Minister John Howard and other ministers and sign an MoU on counter-terrorism. On his arrival in Sydney this morning, Sinha met the Minister for Immigration and Indigenous Affairs Phillip Ruddock.

"We had a general discussion on the threat terrorism is posing globally and the recent blasts in Mumbai," he told news agencies on reaching here.

"In this context, the issue of the movement of people came up. Ruddock said that while he had problems with other countries on immigration and people smuggling, such problems didn't exist with India," Sinha said.
"He was very happy with the Indian community, who were doing rather well professionally in Australia. We also agreed in principle that a MoU for cooperation in the field of immigration should be signed."

Apart from Howard, Sinha will also hold talks with his Australian counterpart Alexander Downer. Sinha will attend the foreign ministers framework dialogue here tomorrow and sign a MoU on counter terrorism with downer. This is the second visit by an Indian foreign minister to Australia. Jaswant Singh, the then foreign minister had visited Australia in June 2001.

Bureau Report