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CIA's footprints



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                            CIA's footprints

The Delhi Age newspaper
February 14, 2001

Asian Age Editorial

There has to be a limit to what the US is allowed to do from within
India. The Vajpayee government, despite a façade of independence, has
taken major strides in opening hitherto closed doors to the US
government. All under the guise of strengthening India-US relations to
the point where even national security is being compromised. The
decision to allow the US National Endowment for Democracy to open an
office in India is fraught with dangers, as the past record of this body
shows that it sets up bases to promote an aggressive agenda which might
be totally contrary to the position taken by the host country. The
Indian government cannot look the other way and disclaim responsibility
if the NED uses organizations based in this country to siphon off funds
to the resistance in Burma and Tibet. New Delhi claims to have good
relations with both China and now even the military junta in Burma and
this dual policy cannot really add to the credibility of the
government's foreign policy. Minister of external affairs Jaswant Singh
is presently in Burma on a state visit and will have to eventually take
the nation here into confidence about what exactly is the policy being
pursued by the government. While it is true that diplomacy is usually
all about saying what a government does not always mean, this cannot be
carried to the extreme where the government itself loses sight of its
moorings. Records show that the NED has transferred 400,000 dollars in
1999 alone to organisatios based in Burma and Tibet through India to
pursue its campaign against the military government in Burma and the
Chinese occupation of Tibet. And there is considerable apprehension here
that it wants to open an office in India to carry this campaign forward,
regardless of the Indian position on these and related issues. The NED
has been from earlier governments. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee
and his government have had no hesitation in opening the doors without a
thought for the consequences. It is a well known fact now that the NED
is not as benign as its name would suggest, and that it can take very
aggressive positions against governments that do not conform to the US
agenda of democracy. It not only supplies funds, but trains people for
what a country looking inwards would call subversive activities. It will
not be an exaggeration to say that an office in India would not just
concentrate on the neighbouring countries and would not lose advantage
of a grandstand view to monitor activities within. It will not lose the
excellent opportunity to spread its tentacles within to at least retain
the option of playing a more proactive role in case the situation ever
arises. The government which claims to be more concerned about national
pride, and sovereignty than its predecessors should prove its well
publicized nationalism to ensure that organizations with highly dubious
records are not allowed to get a foothold in Indian soil. The guiding
principle behind opening a door should remain the interest of the
nation. The NED presence will certainly benefit the US but can be
expected to prove detrimental to Indian interests. This alone should be
sufficient to keep this CIA backed organization out.


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<center><b><font color="#0000FF"><font size=+3>CIA's footprints</font></font></b></center>

<p><font color="#CC0000"><font size=+1>The Delhi Age newspaper</font></font>
<br><font color="#CC0000"><font size=+1>February 14, 2001</font></font>
<p><font color="#800000"><font size=+1>Asian Age Editorial</font></font>
<p><font size=+1>There has to be a limit to what the US is allowed to do
from within India. The Vajpayee government, despite a fa&ccedil;ade of
independence, has taken major strides in opening hitherto closed doors
to the US government. All under the guise of strengthening India-US relations
to the point where even national security is being compromised. The decision
to allow the US National Endowment for Democracy to open an office in India
is fraught with dangers, as the past record of this body shows that it
sets up bases to promote an aggressive agenda which might be totally contrary
to the position taken by the host country. The Indian government cannot
look the other way and disclaim responsibility if the NED uses organizations
based in this country to siphon off funds to the resistance in Burma and
Tibet. New Delhi claims to have good relations with both China and now
even the military junta in Burma and this dual policy cannot really add
to the credibility of the government's foreign policy. Minister of external
affairs Jaswant Singh is presently in Burma on a state visit and will have
to eventually take the nation here into confidence about what exactly is
the policy being pursued by the government. While it is true that diplomacy
is usually all about saying what a government does not always mean, this
cannot be carried to the extreme where the government itself loses sight
of its moorings. Records show that the NED has transferred 400,000 dollars
in 1999 alone to organisatios based in Burma and Tibet through India to
pursue its campaign against the military government in Burma and the Chinese
occupation of Tibet. And there is considerable apprehension here that it
wants to open an office in India to carry this campaign forward, regardless
of the Indian position on these and related issues. The NED has been from
earlier governments. Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and his government
have had no hesitation in opening the doors without a thought for the consequences.
It is a well known fact now that the NED is not as benign as its name would
suggest, and that it can take very aggressive positions against governments
that do not conform to the US agenda of democracy. It not only supplies
funds, but trains people for what a country looking inwards would call
subversive activities. It will not be an exaggeration to say that an office
in India would not just concentrate on the neighbouring countries and would
not lose advantage of a grandstand view to monitor activities within. It
will not lose the excellent opportunity to spread its tentacles within
to at least retain the option of playing a more proactive role in case
the situation ever arises. The government which claims to be more concerned
about national pride, and sovereignty than its predecessors should prove
its well publicized nationalism to ensure that organizations with highly
dubious records are not allowed to get a foothold in Indian soil. The guiding
principle behind opening a door should remain the interest of the nation.
The NED presence will certainly benefit the US but can be expected to prove
detrimental to Indian interests. This alone should be sufficient to keep
this CIA backed organization out.</font>
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