India bristles at US comments on Ahmadinejad visit

INDIA: India on Tuesday told Washington to mind its own business after a US official said New Delhi should urge Iran to curtail its nuclear programme during a visit by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The Iranian president will arrive in New Delhi on April 29 for a one-day "working visit" topped by talks on two multi-billion-dollar energy deals, an Indian foreign ministry official said this week.

"Our attention has been drawn to a comment made by the official spokesman of the US State Department concerning the visit of President Ahmadinejad of Iran to India," said a brief statement from India's foreign ministry Tuesday.

"India and Iran are ancient civilisations whose relations span centuries. Both nations are perfectly capable of managing all aspects of their relationship with the appropriate degree of care and attention."

New Delhi appeared irked by a remark made by US State Department spokesman Tom Casey on Monday that Washington would like to see New Delhi call on Iran to cease enriching uranium.

"Neither country needs any guidance on the future conduct of bilateral relations," said the Indian statement.

Iran's refusal to suspend sensitive uranium enrichment operations - which the West fears could be used to make a nuclear weapon - has already led to three sets of UN Security Council sanctions against Tehran.

Casey also said India should put pressure on Iran to "become a more responsible actor on the world stage."

"We'd also certainly encourage them to ask Iran to end its rather unhelpful activities with respect to Iraq, with respect to support for terrorism," said Casey in response to a question on the visit.

Ahmadinejad will meet Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for "discussions on issues of mutual interest" next Tuesday, the Indian foreign ministry has said.

The discussions are expected to focus on injecting new momentum into two major energy deals mired in pricing disputes. New Delhi has been in talks with Iran, which has the world's second largest known gas reserves after Russia, on a 2,600-kilometre (1,615-mile) pipeline via Pakistan.

Talks on the seven-billion-dollar pipeline began in 1994 but have also been delayed by tensions between India and Pakistan.

Separately, India signed a deal with Tehran in 2005 for the supply of five million tonnes of gas each year for 25 years.

Energy-hungry India, which imports more than 70 percent of its energy needs, has been racing to secure new supplies of oil and gas to sustain its booming economic growth.

New Delhi, Wednesday, AFP