US to squeeze Russia out of Indian arms market : Reports

Moscow, Aug 31 (UNI) India's decision in the recently announced global tender for 126 multi-role fighters may be politically influenced in favour of the United States, as changes in its foreign policy could be encouraged by the 123 agreement it signed with Washington in June, a Russian expert said.

''For years, India maintained priority military-technical cooperation with the Soviet Union, and then with Russia. But now it wants to be free to choose the best that global military market has to offer,'' Lt General Gennady Yevstafyev (Ret), who served in the Foreign Intelligence Service and is now senior adviser at the Centre for Policy Studies in Russia said.

Mr Yevstafyev said he believed changes in India's foreign policy could be encouraged by Indo-US agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation.

''The 123 Agreement, named after Section 123 of the United States Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (Cooperation with Other Nations), is not limited to civilian nuclear cooperation,''the expert was quoted as saying by Vermya Novostei newspaper.

''It also covers other spheres, including military cooperation, which gives the United States a chance to eventually squeeze Russia out of the Indian arms market," Mr Yevstafyev said.

''The US deal with India may influence the outcome of the international tender for 126 fighters, encouraging New Delhi to choose US-based Lockheed Martin over European aircraft producers, including Russia's MiG, for political considerations," he noted.

UNI