ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Russia won't cancel defence deals with India

Russia will not cancel a lucrative arms deal with India in response to its nuclear tests, the Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday.

Russia has no plans to cancel its contracts for the sale of Su-30 fighters to India, representatives of the Sukhoi Aircraft Company said.

India has already received eight Su-30 fighters under a $ 1.8 billion deal to buy 40 advanced aircraft from Russia, concluded in 1996. The rest are expected to be delivered by 2000.

''Moscow is interested in preventing the escalation of tension between Delhi and Islamabad, in neutralising the dangerous consequences of the nuclear tests carried out by these countries,'' Russian foreign ministry spokesman Valery Nesterushkin said.

He urged both India and Pakistan to sign the Non-Proliferation and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaties.

The nuclear tests in India and Pakistan will be discussed on Wednesday, when Russia plays host to a meeting of top diplomats from the Association of South-East Asian Nations, Itar-Tass reported.

Foreign ministers of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council -- including Russia -- plan similar talks on Thursday in Geneva, and discussions on whether to impose sanctions, as favoured by the United States.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report