NEW DELHI: On Jan.27 Russian president Boris Yeltsin arrived here for a three day visit with focus on resolving core problems in trade and economic sphere apart from signing a treaty of friendship and cooperation and a host of agreements in diverse areas. Two pressing problems relating to settling rupee rouble rate to re estimate Indian debt, which Russia Says amounts to 10 billion dollars, and an uninterrupted supply of defense spares may require a political push from Yeltsin for an early solution. Anglo-Russian mutual suspicions and cold war nearly brought about a situation close to cancellation of Yeltsin’s visit to India last week. The flashpoint arose as India had no taken into account the complications two high level visits could cause. The cold war erupted in the Indian President’s sprawling residence where dozens of Russian technicians landed with tons of communication equipment to serve as advance base for the forthcoming visit of the Russian President the British had already landed in the Presidential palace to setup their own communication network lo serve during the visit of British prime minister John Major. The British thought that the Russians would break into the former’s communication system and would tap their prime minister’s messages to London. Consequently the British demanded of India that the Russians would not operate anywhere near their base in the palace. The panicky Indian officials requested the Russians to leave the field free for the Bnush but the Russians were not obliging. First they were unrelenting and even threatened cancellauon of their President’s visit. The Russians said that they had to follow certain rules governing international visits of their dignitary.
But the British continued to put pressure on India and eventually succeeded in expelling the Russian technicians from the area. They packed their bags and Left the British undisturbed in the region. This sensational piece of information is based on western diplomatic sources.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 29, 1993
