UAE, India sign Security Agreements

New Delhi - Nov 24, 2011 (WAM) - India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) signed an important "Agreement on Security Cooperation" today, enhancing existing cooperation particularly against terrorism. The agreement was among the two pacts that the visiting H. H. Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, signed with his Indian host, Home Minister P Chidambaram. According to an official statement, the two leaders discussed various issues on bilateral security cooperation and decided to "strengthen and develop the existing bilateral framework/ mechanism to enhance security cooperation in the areas such as combating terrorism in all forms, addressing activities of organised criminal groups, drug trafficking, illicit trafficking in weapons, ammunition, explosives, etc., and initiatives on training of personnel." The second pact, "Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons," provides "the framework to facilitate the social rehabilitation of sentenced persons in their respective countries by giving citizens of the Contracting States, who have been convicted and sentenced as a result of commission of a criminal offences, the opportunity to serve the sentence in their own society." There are about 1200 Indian nationals in UAE jails, and this agreement would facilitate their transfer to India to serve the remaining part of their imprisonment terms. There are hardly any UAE nationals in Indian jails - if any - and this agreement indicates a humane approach by the UAE authorities to expatriates. Notably, most of the Indians in the UAE jails have petty offences, including consumption and movement of liquor. A Home Ministry official described the discussions as "cordial and very friendly" adding that "both the countries reiterated their commitment for enhanced cooperation in investigation of mutually relevant criminal cases and sharing of relevant information in this regard." Sheikh Saif, who arrived here yesterday, thanked and invited the Indian Home Minister to visit Abu Dhabi. The UAE delegation includes Lt. General Saif Al Sha'far, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Interior, Major General Nasser Lakhraibani Al Nuaimi, Secretary General of the Office of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and other senior officials. It may be noted that India and UAE already have a pact of Strategic Cooperation, signed in 2003 when Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces General His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan visited New Delhi. Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al Nahyan has also been to New Delhi a couple of times to renew and strengthen bilateral ties. Discussions have also been held between the think tanks of the two countries, India's Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) and UAE's Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR). - Emirates News Agency, WAM