Iranian President's landmark South Asian tour

Dr. Abdul Ruff

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a two-day state visit from April 28 to Sri Lanka on an invitation from President Mahinda Rajapaksa. This was the Iranian President's first visit to Sri Lanka.

President Rajapaksa visited Teheran last November. Iran Minister of Economics & Finance Davood Danesh-Jafari already was in Colombo on January 15-17 to pave way for Ahmedinejad's visit and economic cooperation between the two countries.

On his arrival in Colombo, President Rajapaksa gave Mahmoud a royal welcome and the Sri Lankan Navy accorded him a smart guard of honour. The two Presidents briefed each other on issues of common interest and current developments in their respective countries. Sri Lanka's Presidents Rajapaksa and Ahmadinejad also entered into agreements for several economic projects in Sri Lanka.

The Iranian President's visit comes at a time when US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have said they are working to extend sanctions against Iran's nuclear programme.

Personal Diplomacy

The US expressed concern over the visit of Iranian President Ahmadinejad to South Asian countries; the US is said to have exerted pressure on India to warn Iran over her nuclear program but this understandably has not gone down well in India.

The man who has challenged the most powerful nation of the world, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was in South Asia in April visiting Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India and the people who met him and listened to his speech delivered for all-faiths had a different picture about that man.

A man who is being described in global media, including India, as a "firebrand" Ahmadinejad won the hearts of all Sri Lankans on this very short visit. What took people of Lanka by surprise is that they had never seen a head of state like him before in all their lives. His quiet charisma was irresistible.

People who heard him, the Buddhists, Muslims, Christians, among others, surmised that he is very modest and humble, that simplicity is the hall mark of his character. Just like the Iranian people, Sri Lankans took a natural liking to him. One commentator aptly said: what distinguishes Ahmadinejad was his life style, his down to earth demeanour, impeccable revolutionary credentials and his record of selflessness in the service he has rendered to the people of Iran.

The speech he delivered was amazing. He said Iran always desired Sri Lanka's progress and honour. "I am sure that people and religious leaders of this beautiful country will render a great service to humanity by working together in peace and brotherhood and I thank God for it," he said.

"God created man to enable him to identify God and be humble before Him. By doing this God has elevated man to a high pedestal". "Therefore man should live happily in unity and mutual co-operation with others during his short life span," he said. The speech had an electrifying effect on the audience. When the speech was over there was resounding applause.

When the meeting concluded, the audience together with all the clergy rushed to the stage to congratulate President Ahmadinejad and wish him.

It was indeed very difficult for Ahmadinejad to get back to his room in the hotel as hundreds of well wishers thronged around him to shake his hand and even embrace and kiss him.

Iran and Sri Lanka

Iran and Sri Lanka's trade exchanges during the past two years have stood at around $400 mln; non-oil trade exchanges between the two nations is relatively limited at present, the trade volume, tea included, hits over $50 mln.

Building cement and steel production plants, auto industries and transfer of technical and technological know-how in the oil exploration and extraction and mining sectors are the areas Iranian experts could help Sri Lanka with.

Iran enjoys good technological potentials and we call for Iran's cooperation in supplying Sri Lanka with machineries and equipments, helping us in the agricultural sector, building cement production plants, auto industries, iron exploration and extraction and building steel mill.

Iran is the sole supplier of crude oil for the only refinery in Sri Lanka in Sapugaskanda.

The oil made available to Sri Lanka is given on easy payment basis and is a boon in a situation where we are compelled to spend exorbitant amounts fighting the Tigers.

Western diplomats privately raised eyebrows at Sri Lanka's all encompassing embrace of Iran. Iran supports the island's sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity and has expressed its support for Sri Lanka to solve its ethnic conflict through negotiations.

Iranian President Dr. Ahmadinejad held wide-ranging discussions with President Mahinda Rajapaksa, attended by Ministers and senior officials of both sides. Both Presidents, while noting with satisfaction the progress achieved in bilateral relations, stressed their firm commitment to further enhance mutual cooperation in the political, economic, trade, cultural, educational, scientific and technological fields.

Sri Lanka supported the peaceful use of nuclear energy by Iran, within the framework of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The two sides confirmed the full and non-discriminatory implementation of Article IV of the NPT on peaceful nuclear co-operation.

The two sides reiterated the importance of global nuclear disarmament, particularly the need for the nuclear powers to destroy their nuclear weapons, based on the decisions of the relevant international meetings.

Pipeline

Although the business trip of Iranian leader was mainly focused on his Sri Lankan visit, Mahmoud also, side by side, en-route, clubbed the trip to meet and discuss briefly the pipeline project with the leaders of Pakistan and India.

As the initial step in his South Asian tour, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad went to Pakistan and met President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani during a four-hour stopover in Islamabad on April 28.

They discussed the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline project, though no related documents were signed. After his two-day visit to Sri Lanka, on his way to Teheran, Iranian President also paid his first visit to India on April 29.

Ahmadinejad received a red carpet welcome on 27 April in Islamabad on his way to Colombo. Ahmadinejad discussed the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan and a controversial oil pipeline project opposed by the US with Pakistan. High on the agenda was the gas pipeline project, which Pakistan and India are considering building to import natural gas from Iran.

After his two-day visit to Sri Lanka, on his way back to Teheran, Iranian President paid his first visit to India on April 29. Deliberations in numerous key sectors ranging from energy, the Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline project, the technical negotiations for which have almost concluded, talks on two multi-billion dollar energy deals and bilateral investments were on agenda.

The net result of Iranian President's first visit to Sri Lanka is that he held talks with Sri Lankan leaders and witnessed the signing of six economic agreements. It is expected that economic cooperation and trade exchange between the two countries will expand.

Colombo was festooned with flags, and bill boards proclaiming "Traditional Asian Solidarity". Ahmadinejad's visit would further cement its ties with Tehran. "We are seeking justice and fair play in the world and Sri Lanka and Iran have agreed to co-operate in all spheres for the mutual benefit of each other," the Iranian president told reporters.

Iran has already agreed soft loans and grants of $1.9 billion for a hydroelectric and irrigation scheme and to upgrade Sri Lanka's main oil refinery, as well as to buy Iranian oil.

In Sri Lanka there has been concern expressed as to how the US would view the visit, some have gone to the extent of reading the visit and the relationship with Iran as being an unfriendly 'act' to both the US and Israel.

Foreign policy

Any country's foreign policy is crafted at promoting and achieving its own national interests and ours is no exception. The essence of a foreign policy is that it should be pragmatic and the Lankan Government has no doubt exhibited a certain pragmatism which is dictated not by ideology but by their interests.

Despite domestic constraints, Lanka is slowly turning towards Asian countries which offer more donor money than traditional Western allies. Foreign Secretary Dr Palitha Kohona told the BBC: "Asians don't hector each other from public pulpits. They're more ready with assistance and less ready with gratuitous advice." Iran offers sufficient space for better mutual relations with Sri Lanka.

Sincere mutual concerns and strong desire to diversify and stabilise the bilateral relations between Iran and Sri Lanka make enough room for strengthening the current ties and expand them further.

The growing number of agreements signed between the two countries with different socio-political perceptions testify to their strong future intent.

The writer is a Research Scholar, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.