Increase Asia-Pacific Cooperation for Maritime Security: Pranab

Singapore, Jun 3 (UNI) India today called upon the countries of the Asia-Pacific region to increase and strengthen regional cooperation to enhance maritime security.

Welcoming the three-nation initiative on monitoring shipping through the Compulsory Pilotage Project of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee offered India's assistance in enhancing security of the sea lanes through coordination of individual efforts.

Addressing the Second Plenary Session of the Fifth IISS Asia Security Summit -- also known as the Shangri-La Dialogue -- here, Mr Mukherjee pointed to the necessity of maintaining security of the narrow Malacca Straits -- one of the most important waterways of the world through which one-third of all global trade and more than fifty per cent of India's maritime trade passes.

India, Minister Mujkherjee said, had developed capabilities in various aspects of maritime security and would be most willing to share its expertise with countries of the region.

In this regard, India was taking steps to join the Container Security Initiative and had identified the Nhava Sheva port for purposes of executing this initiative, he said.

Besides, the Indian Navy had initiated several maritime security and capacity-building measures such as countering piracy by joint exercises (specifically with Indonesia), returned the 'Allondra Rainbow' ship to the Japanese authorities from pirates and participated in Tsunami relief measures in 2004-2005 in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and the Maldives, Mr Mukherjee added.

Noting that the establishment of a Regional Marine Training Centre had been discussed at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Workshop and the ARF Senior Officers Meeting, Minister Mukjherjee said India believed that such a Centre would go a long way in establishing common understanding and common procedures and would be happy to be associated with the initiative.

Besides, consistent with their global strategic partnership and the new framework for defence relationship, India and the United States had committed themselves to comprehensive cooperation in ensuring a secure maritime domain. ''Similar initiatives have been taken with other maritime partners,'' Mr Mukherjee said.

Summing up the tangible global trends at the beginning of the 21st century, Minister Mukherjee said barring a few exceptions, nation-states today were in ''political and economic credit'' environment in their relations with each other -- generally a positive and mutually beneficial state of political and economic affairs.

''Unfortunately, this healthy and positive atmosphere is marred by what one might call a worldwide 'security deficit', whereby no country is free from the tension and conflict arising from the scourge of international terrorism, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their related technologies, trafficking of arms, drugs and humans and the growing tendency among non-state actors to take the law into their own hands....'' Some 250 delegates from more than 20 countries and regions in Asia-Pacific, North America and Europe have gathered here for the three-day Asia Security Summit -- also known as the Shangri-la Dialogue for it has been held at Singapore's Shangri-la hotel since its inauguration in 2002.

The annual dialogue -- organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) -- opened last night with issues to be addressed at the Plenary Sessions of this year's dialogue including The US and Asia's Emerging Security; India and China: Rising Global Players; Deploying Forces for International Security; Setting National Security Priorities; and Constructing a Regional Security Community.

Eminent participants include Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Australian Minister for Defence Brendan Nelson, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Najib Razak, Japanese Minister of State for Defense Fukushiro Nukaga and Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono, South Korean Defence Minister Yoon Kwang Ung and Singapore's Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean.

The 'Shangri-La Dialogue' is regarded an important gathering to discuss security issues facing the region and is seen as a complement to the ASEAN Regional Forum, an annual meeting of foreign ministers from Asia, the United States, China, Russia and Japan, among others.

UNI DG KD GC1706