S. Korea, India to launch 'strategic dialogue' on global security: officials

By Lee Chi-dong
SEOUL, Jan. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will seek to
expand his country's relations with India beyond their traditional economic
cooperation to a strategic partnership on diplomacy, security, and global issues
during his trip there next week, Lee's aides said Tuesday.
"The two sides plan to agree to (establish) a kind of (high-level) strategic
dialogue on the political and security fields," a senior official at the
presidential office Cheong Wa Dae told reporters. The official added the
agreement will be included in a 32-point joint statement to be issued after a
summit between Lee and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday.
The two emerging economic powers have significantly bolstered their economic
cooperation recently, highlighted by their just-launched free trade deal, called
the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement. Two-way trade totaled US$15.5
billion in 2008 and the pact, which went into effect Jan. 1, is expected to boost
trade volume by 15 percent annually on average.
When former President Roh Moo-hyun visited India in 2004, the two countries
agreed to pursue a "long-term cooperative partnership for peace and prosperity."
"This time, we are in consultations with India to enhance the relationship by one
notch," the official said on condition of anonymity.
The leaders will also agree to hold a joint committee meeting attended by their
trade ministers in the latter half of this year and lay out a joint vision for
expanding mutual trade, he added.
Emboldened after winning a US$20 billion contract in December with the United
Arab Emirates to construct four nuclear reactors there, South Korea is also
trying to make inroads into India's nuclear energy market, according to the
official.
India has 17 nuclear power plants and another six are under construction.
"First, South Korea needs to have a nuclear energy pact with India," he said.
"There is no such pact between the two sides. There will be related discussions
(during President Lee's trip)."
The official said Lee's forthcoming trip to India is also significant because it
will complete his efforts to set up a network for his so-called "New Asia
Diplomacy," aimed at improving relations with Asian neighbors. Lee visited
several major Asia-Pacific nations last year including China, Japan, Indonesia
and Australia.
Following his four-day trip to India, which starts on Sunday, the South Korean
president will fly to Switzerland. In Zurich, Lee is scheduled to meet FIFA
President Joseph Blatter to express South Korea's strong desire to host the 2022
World Cup football finals and ask for Blatter's support.
Lee will then head to the ski resort of Davos to attend an annual meeting
organized by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF), which brings together
global intellectuals, politicians and business leaders.
On Jan. 28, the president will deliver a special address titled, "Seoul G-20:
Summit Priorities and Challenges," in which he will unveil his vision for the
November G-20 economic summit in the South Korean capital.
"The Davos Forum will be President Lee's debut stage not only as South Korea's
leader but also as the president of a chair country of this year's G-20 summit,"
said another presidential aide who also asked not to be named.
British public broadcaster BBC and U.S.-based global cable news channel CNN plan
to conduct in-depth interviews with Lee in Davos to shed light on his push for
raising South Korea's international status, the official said.
lcd@yna.co.kr
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