Israeli security adviser discusses terror, Al-Qaeda in India

NEW DELHI -Threats from Al-Qaeda, Iran’s nuclear programme and the safety of Israeli tourists to India were some of the key issues discussed by Israel’s national security advisor Uzi Arad and his Indian counterpart M.K.Narayanan during a whirlwind visit to the capital Monday.

There is nothing secret about this visit. These meetings are held periodically but considering the sensitivity of the subjects discussed it obviously cannot be made public, a senior diplomat at the Israeli embassy told IANS.

Arad, who is also the chairman of the Israeli National Security Council, is also learnt to have discussed the security situation both in Afghanistan and Pakistan and conveyed concerns about the spiraling violence and the links of some of the terror groups to Al-Qaeda.

Some of the other areas of mutual concern were counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing and delivery of weapons. Both sides discussed ways to enhance cooperation in these areas, said an intelligence official.

Last month Israel’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau cancelled a two-month-old advisory against travel to India, citing a drop in the threat of terror in that region. The Bureau had warned Israelis in mid-October about a concrete threat of a possible terror attack, particularly in Goa.

Arad was foreign policy advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu between 1997-99 on secondment from the Mossad, in which he served for more than two decades, culminating in his tenure as Director of Research (Intelligence).

Before this meeting a joint working group on defence between India and Israel met last month. The group was co-chaired by Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar and Israeli defence ministry director-general, Brig. Gen. (retd) Pinchas Buchris.

India is Israel’s biggest customer for weapons and New Delhi and Tel Aviv have a growing defence relationship.