good news for India

If~:'BY PAWAN LUTHRA

The new Foreign Minister o f J\ustmlia, Bob Carr had this to say in hi s blog of 15 Feb. 2012

" The Federal Government has expanded uranium mining and opened exports stinmlaring debates abom historical and contempora r y issues. Carr was always keen to unders tand more about lndia and who better man one of lndia's finest dip lomats to enlighten him on th is aspect.

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02 9279 2004

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ro India. South Australia boasts what

will become the world's largest uranium mi ne. The ban for NSW reflected the a n ti - nuclear sentiment of the 1980s a nd it is irrelevant today when to beat global warming we urgently need every available source of carbon- free energy."

His appointment would have pleased many in the lndian government, none more so th a n the form er Consul General of lndia (Sydney) M. Ganapathi Gana, as be was popularly known, is now Secretary (\Xlest) in the Ministry of External die Indi an Consul General wer e seen enjoying a cup of coffee in a coffee shop at Sydne y's Bligh Street.

Both vocifero u s read ers, they enjoyed

Bob Carr has often expressed h is admiration for tl1e democratic traditio n s of lndia. ln a conversation, he expressed his amazement at the peacefulness of the 2004 elec tions in which over 670 million voted, the incumben t BJP lost and handed the keys of me country to tl1e Opposi tion Con gress parry without any bloodshed He marvelled at the maturity of tl1e system H.is admiration of tl1e local Indian etluc of hard work and desi re for higher learning was a mantra he often repeated at Indian community events It was during his tenure as premier mat me NSW Parliament was introduced co D iwali celebrations, now such a highl ight of our community's annual social calendar.

B ob Carr travelled to L1dia a few ti.mes, born before and after becoming Premier. He is known for his love of bus h walking and lists h is rime on me foothills of the Himalayas as o n e of his fondest memories. H is wife Helen a also has her Ind ia n links, w ith an Ind ian fatl1er, Lourd es, and Ch inese moth er, Regina, who both mer in Malaysia.

So how will India fearure in Australia's pages n ow t h at Carr is in charge of Foreign Affairs?

While PM Julia Gillard was able to p u sh through the sale of uranium to lndia at me recent Labor party conference, it had evo ked a stro ng reaction from tl1e then Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd Whether it was a reactio n to the snub which was directed at him as the PM had not consul ted h im prior to mis change of Labor policy, or whe.tl1er he believed that India did not deserve to be so ld urani um, Rudd 's post conference comments indicated quite clearl y that tl1e actual journey of trans ition from policy tQ sale could be arduous for India. Due diligen ce and monitoring aspects with India will have to be agreed upo n, bur with Carr at the helm, tl1ere would be a balance in tl1is direction.

Foreign M inister Carr needs also to visi t lndia soone r railier than later T he mood towards Australia is quite friendly at tl1e moment after months of bad p ress. The students' issue has largely di ed down and uranium sales are on the way forward

It is rime to engage o n ce agai n and forge deeper friendships.