AJC President, In New Delhi Meeting With Indian Prime Minister, Raises Concerns About Threats To Democracy In South Asia And Middle East

American Jewish Committee
Tuesday, 23 December 1997

Hosts Symposium On Common Concerns, Growing Ties Of India And Israel

American Jewish Committee President Robert S. Rifkind and Indian Prime Minister I.K. Gujral today discussed threats to the world's largest democracy from extremist forces in the country and the region, the difficulties of confronting international terrorism, and the increasingly friendly relations between India and Israel.

Mr. Rifkind led a six-member AJC delegation to the meeting at the Prime Minister's Residence; it was the organization's third exchange in 15 months with Gujral, who also serves as Foreign Minister.

Separately, the AJC president convened a symposium in New Dehli sponsored by AJC's Asia and Pacific Rim Institute (APRI) on the common strategic concerns, political challenges and growing trade between India and Israel. Participants in the discussion - "India and Israel at 50: A Celebration of Two Democracies" - included four former Foreign Secretaries of India, Israeli Ambassador to India Yehoyada Haim, Ministry of External Affairs officials, academicians, foreign policy analysts, diplomats from the Middle East and Europe, and leaders of the Indian Jewish community.

The day's events in New Delhi were part of a seven-day itinerary of AJC meetings with Indian officials, political figures, business leaders and journalists intended to strengthen the organization's contact with a pivotal Asian state commanding increased strategic, political and economic attention as it marks 50 years of independence. The group's plans included joining the Jewish community of Mumbai (Bombay) in a public celebration of the first night of Hanukkah; meeting political and business leaders in Mumbai, India's commercial center; and visiting Cochin, home of a Jewish community dating back two millennia. This week's mission is AJC's third and highest-level visit to India in three years.

In the meeting with the Indian leader, Mr. Rifkind warned of the threat posed in pluralistic democracies by extremist forces. Prime Minister Gujral noted his concerns about a "new fundamentalism" in Indian society that "sometimes creates an atmosphere of hate." Citing his country's ongoing conflict with Pakistan, Mr. Gujral said India confronts a continual cross-border terrorist threat that is little appreciated in the United States; he suggested that threats posed by militant Islamist forces inside India are "marginal."

Mr. Rifkind expressed concern about support from Iran for terrorist groups in the Middle East; in AJC's last meeting with Prime Minister Gujral, in September in New York, the AJC delegation had voiced alarm over reports of Indian-Iranian trade in items with potential dual use in non-conventional weapons.

The AJC delegation engaged Mr. Gujral in a discussion of the prospects for enhanced political and economic ties between India and Israel. The Prime Minister noted the increasing trade between the nations, calling the bilateral relationship "very comfortable," although subject to "hiccups" caused by difficulties in the peace process. The delegation urged a sharper separation between Indo-Israeli relations - which have their own firm rationale - and India's attitudes about the progress of Israeli-Palestinian peace.

Mr. Gujral also applauded the recent upturn in relations between India and the United States, noting the visits in the past two months of three Cabinet Secretaries and the planned visit to India in 1998 by President Clinton. Rifkind joined the Prime Minister in welcoming improved Indo-American understanding and cooperation.

Accompanying Mr. Rifkind in the AJC delegation were Dr. Arleen Rifkind, his wife; Stephen Beiner, a member of the AJC National Board of Governors, and his wife, Dr. Judith Beiner; Judith Owens, vice president of AJC's Detroit Chapter; and Jason Isaacson, AJC Director of Government and International Affairs, and Director of APRI.

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org