Defence Ministry protested against PMO undermining Rafale negotiations

[timmy]

Defence Ministry protested against PMO undermining Rafale negotiations

N. Ram

FEBRUARY 08, 2019 05:00 IST

UPDATED: FEBRUARY 08, 2019 05:45 IST

 

Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar exchanges documents with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian after signing an MoU on the purchase of 36 Rafale fighter aircraft in the presence of French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on January 25, 2016.   | Photo Credit: The Hindu

 

The French side took advantage of parallel parleys by the PMO that weakened Indian team’s position.

At the height of the negotiations over the controversial €7.87 billion Rafale dealbetween India and France, the Defence Ministry raised strong objections to “parallel negotiations” conducted by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) with the French side. Stating that it was clear that such parallel discussions by the PMO had “weakened the negotiating position of MoD and Indian Negotiating Team,” a Defence Ministry note dated November 24, 2015 brought this to the attention of the then Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar.

Stating that “we may advise PMO that any Officers who are not part of Indian Negotiating Team may refrain from having parallel parlays [parleys] with the officers of French Government,” it suggested that “in case the PMO is not confident about the outcome of negotiations being carried out by the MoD, a revised modality of negotiations to be led by PMO at appropriate level may be adopted in the case.”

According to the government’s submission to the Supreme Court of India in October 2018, the negotiations over the Rafale deal were conducted by a seven-member team headed by the Deputy Chief of Air Staff. There was no mention of any role for the PMO in these negotiations.

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Official documents available to The Hindu reveal, however, that the Defence Ministry protested that the position taken by the PMO was “contradictory to the stand taken by MoD and the negotiating team.” The then Defence Secretary, G. Mohan Kumar, made this official notation in his own hand: “RM may pl. see. It is desirable that such discussions be avoided by the PMO as it undermines our negotiating position seriously.”

 

The Defence Ministry's internal note dated November 24, 2015, in facsimile  

 

Firm opposition

The Defence Secretary’s firm opposition was recorded on November 24, 2015 on a note prepared by S. K. Sharma, Deputy Secretary (Air-II), and endorsed by the Joint Secretary & Acquisition Manager (Air) and the Director General (Acquisition) in the Ministry.

The new Rafale deal, which bore little resemblance to the original deal under prolonged negotiation, was announced in Paris by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April 2015. This was followed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between India and France when President Francois Hollande visited Delhi on the occasion of the Republic Day in 2016. The inter-governmental agreement for 36 Rafale fighter jets was eventually signed on September 23, 2016.

According to the Defence Ministry note, the details of the parallel negotiations conducted by the PMO came to the Ministry’s notice only from a letter of October 23, 2015 from General Stephen Reb, the head of the French Negotiating Team. The letter “made mention of a telephonic conversation between Shri Jawed Ashraf, Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office and Mr. Luis Vassy, Diplomatic Adviser to the French Minister of Defence, which took place on 20.10.2015.”

General Reb’s letter was brought to the notice of the PMO by the Defence Ministry. The head of the Indian Negotiating Team, Air Marshal S. B. P. Sinha, AVSM VM, Deputy Chief of Air Staff, also wrote to Mr. Ashraf, Joint Secretary to Prime Minister.

In his reply to Air Marshal Sinha on November 11, 2015, Mr. Ashraf “confirmed that he had held discussion with Mr Luis Vassy, Diplomatic Adviser to the French Minister of Defence,” adding that Mr. Vassy “spoke to him on the advice of the French President’s office and the issues referred to General Reb’s letter were discussed.”

President Hollande had told AFP, as reported by Le Monde in September 2018, that “asked by Agence France-Presse on the sidelines of a conference in Montreal on Friday, Hollande said that the name of Reliance Group had appeared as part of a ‘new formula’ in negotiations over the Rafale deal, decided by the Modi government after it came to power.” The reference was to the Anil Ambani-owned Reliance Defence.

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The Defence Ministry note also stated that “the discussions between Diplomatic Adviser to the French Defence Minister and Joint Secretary to PM tantamount to parallel negotiations while the Indian Negotiating Team constituted by the Ministry of Defence is undertaking the process of formal negotiations with the French side.”

Detrimental to interests

“Such parallel negotiations may be detrimental to our interests as the French side may take advantage of same by interpreting such discussions to their benefit and weakening the position taken by Indian Negotiating Team. This has precisely happened in this case,” the note added.

 

 

Citing “a glaring example”, the Defence Ministry note pointed out that General Reb in his letter had stated that “taking into consideration the outcome of discussions between Diplomatic Adviser to the French Defence Minister and Joint Secretary to PM, no Bank Guarantee is provisioned in the supply protocol and the letter of comfort provides sufficient assurances of the proper implementation of the supply protocol by the industrial suppliers.”

This, the note stated, was “contrary to the position taken by the MoD and conveyed by Indian Negotiating Team that the commercial offer should be preferably backed by Sovereign/Government Guarantee or otherwise by Bank Guarantee.” Another instance of a contrary stand taken in the parallel negotiations was on the arbitration arrangement, the note pointed out.

This is not the only instance of “parallel negotiations” in which the Indian side took contrary positions. It has already been reported elsewhere that the National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval, negotiated with the French side in Paris in January 2016 and The Hindu has access to documentation that confirms this. Mr. Doval’s advice to Mr. Parrikar on doing away with a sovereign guarantee or bank guarantee for the Rafale deal was also recorded by the then Defence Minister in a file noting.

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/defence-ministry-protested-against-pmo-undermining-rafale-negotiations/article26207281.ece?homepage=true

[Mitron]

Sachav po

[timmy]

@Mitron @Kool_SRG 

 ban the hindu paper its anti nationalist 

[Mitron]

8 minutes ago, timmy said:

@Mitron @Kool_SRG 

 ban the hindu paper its anti nationalist 

Adhi eppudo ayipoyindi 

[timmy]

"Flogging A Dead Horse," Government Says On Explosive Rafale Report

हिंदी में पढ़ेंবাংলায় পড়ুন

Rafale Deal: Last year, the government had told the Supreme Court that the PM's Office had no role in the negotiations for Rafale that was carried out by a seven-member team.

All India | Edited by Anindita Sanyal | Updated: February 08, 2019 12:43 IST

 

 

Rafale Deal: PM Modi's Office conducted "parallel negotiations" with France on the Rafale jet deal

NEW DELHI:  A news report on a defence ministry note that said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Office conducted "parallel negotiations" with France on the multi-billion dollar Rafale fighter jet deal and the ministry had strong objections to it, triggered a huge political row today. As Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said the report by The Hindu established that the "Chowkidaar is a chor" and his party demanded a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the deal, defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Congress was "flogging a dead horse".

Here are the top 10 facts in this big story:

1. The note - dated November 24, 2015 -brought to the attention of then Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar that the PMO's position was "contradictory to the stand taken by MoD and the negotiating team" and it is "desirable that such discussions be avoided by the PMO as it undermines our negotiating position seriously".
2. The strongly-worded note prepared by then Defence Secretary, G Mohan Kumar, further states: "In case the PMO is not confident about the outcome of negotiations being carried out by the MoD, a revised modality of negotiations to be led by PMO at appropriate level may be adopted in the case," the note further says.
3. Last year, the government had told the Supreme Court that the PM's Office had no role in the negotiations for Rafale that was carried out by a seven-member team.
4. "This is very serious that the government kept all this from the Supreme Court. It can be treated as contempt of court. They were not told that PMO was holding parallel negotiations," N Ram, the editor of The Hindu, who wrote the investigative report, told NDTV.
5. "Today in the Hindu newspaper, it is absolutely black and white, that the Prime Minister himself was carrying out a parallel negotiation with the French. I want to speak to all youngsters and all armed forces personnel.... You fight for us, you die for us... you must know this, that it is clear that PM Modi gave 30,000 crore to Anil Ambani, Rahul Gandhi said.  
6. Last month, Mr Gandhi's comments after a visit to the ailing former defence minister triggered a huge controversy. "Parrikar-ji told me that when the deal was changed, the Prime Minister did not get the country's defence minister on board," Mr Gandhi said.
7. Within a few hours, Mr Parrikar wrote to the Congress chief, accusing him of lying. "Paying a courtesy visit and then stooping so low as to make a false statement for petty political gain has raised, in my mind, questions about the sincerity and purpose of your visit," wrote Mr Parrikar.
8. Mr Gandhi responded with a Facebook post, saying what he said was in the public domain and he has divulged nothing of their latest discussions. He said he also "empathized" with Mr Parrikar, whose sharp letter criticizing him was written "under immense pressure".
9. The Congress contends that the government had finalised an overpriced deal to benefit Anil Ambani, whose rookie defence firm Reliance Defence was recommended as an offset partner for Dassault, the company manufacturing the Rafale aircraft. Both Dassault and the government have denied the Congress allegations.
10. The Congress allegations received a boost after former French president, Francois Hollande said France had no role in the selection of Anil Ambani's company for the offset clause.

https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/defence-ministry-did-say-no-to-pmo-on-rafale-report-elates-congress-1990276?pfrom=home-topscroll

[Mitron]

NDTV... lite

[timmy]

 

[timmy]

 

[Kool_SRG]

15 minutes ago, timmy said:

@Mitron @Kool_SRG 

 ban the hindu paper its anti nationalist 

[timmy]

 

[batman2]

@timmy  inka rafale pattukuni crying aa

come out of your social media world and get to know things.....you are sure to see the perspective

[timmy]

 

[sonybravia]

4 hours ago, batman2 said:

@timmy  inka rafale pattukuni crying aa

come out of your social media world and get to know things.....you are sure to see the perspective

L8, vaalaki ardham kaavule brotheruu..

Modi ki against ga vachina news edhaiana chaalu vaalaki ippudu, ave correct ani vaadhisthuntaaru. Inko 3 months #PachaThammulla arachaakam thappadhu manaki...

[Mitron]

5 hours ago, batman2 said:

@timmy  inka rafale pattukuni crying aa

come out of your social media world and get to know things.....you are sure to see the perspective

Endho pichi janalu.

 

2G scam lone em peekaleka poyyaru. Rafael eeka to samanam. Aathu kooda peekaleru.