India gets access to encrypted US military tech

Saturday 08th September 2018 06:59 EDT
 
 

The first India-US ‘2 plus 2’ dialogue ended with the inking of ‘Comcasa,’ a defence pact that allows India access to encrypted technologies, and a pointed call to Pakistan to desist using terror proxies. The agreements commit New Delhi and Washington to working together on the open seas, with critical emphasis on the Indo-Pacific with its implied reference to China, sensitive technology and counter-terrorism even though trade and economic disputes remain unresolved.

The tenor of discussions made it evident that there would be no combative negotiation on a laundry list of issues, said sources. The reference to Pakistan and use of terror proxies closely reflects India’s concerns and a growing impatience of the Trump administration with Islamabad backing anti-US Taliban in Afghanistan even as it awaits the new government’s actions. Sources said the four leaders set a broad direction, describing the talks as “positive and constructive.” With both sides willing to listen, convergence was the buzzword and after the dialogue, Pompeo and Mattis called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a meeting that lasted for almost an hour.

The most important takeaway was the signature of Comcasa - Communications, Compatibility, Security Agreement - which has been in the works for long. The pact will help services of both countries to advance interoperability, as US becomes one of India’s closest defence partners in the world. Comcasa comes into effect immediately, and is actually an enabling agreement, with terms that apply to all US-origin platforms that India has already bought or plans to buy, with distinct India-specific features.

In discussions on Iran sanctions, US made it clear that it expects a sharp reduction of energy imports by India, but did not get into numbers. Swaraj insisted India was an energy-reliant economy. But it appears there may be a carve-out for Chahbahar port, as was the case in previous sanctions legislation too. India has been developing the port as an access to Afghanistan free of Pakistan’s influence.

Stop exporting terror, Pakistan told

In a joint statement, both countries named and called upon Pakistan to ensure its territory wasn’t used to launch terror attacks on other countries. Official sources described the “reprimand” as one of the important takeaways from the meeting which saw India and the US agreeing to further intensify counter-terror cooperation. The two sides welcomed the launch of a bilateral dialogue on designation of terrorists in 2017 which, they said, is strengthening cooperation and action against terrorist groups, including al-Qaida, Islamic State, Lashkare-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Hizb-ul Mujahideen, the Haqqani Network, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, D-Company and their affiliates.


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