Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs Yashwant Sinha attended the Joint Commission between India and Indonesia on Monday. A day later, he talked with The Jakarta Post's Kornelius Purba about the role of India as a new dialog partner of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) along with China, Japan and South Korea. The following is an excerpt of the interview:

Question: As a new dialog partner, what can India contribute to ASEAN?

Answer: We have been very close historically with this part of the world and we are trying not only to revive the relationship, but we are trying to give it a 21st-century dimension.

First, we have very direct interests in security concerns of this region as they (ASEAN countries) have with respect to South Asia or with India. And terrorism is a threat that many countries in the region face. So we can cooperate here ...

Second, there is a lot of gun running, people smuggling and narcotics smuggling in this region. Then there is piracy, so safe passage in the sea lanes is another major issue.

Then there are issues of defense cooperation. India has built up remarkable capability in training, military technology and in hardware. Many of our ships have visited many ports. All this can be another area of cooperation. This is as far as the overall security concern.

How about economic cooperation?

While we are very happy that East Asia has gotten over the financial crisis of 1997-1998, all of us should work together to ensure that that kind of crisis does not happen again. India, which was not adversely affected by that crisis, has quite a lot of experience in managing the external factors ... Our experience of economic development in ameliorating the condition of the poorer people is again very important.

Our industrial experience, where small and medium enterprises have played a very important role in our economy, is again something which we can share. Most of all, the technological advantage that India has made in information technology, biotechnology, pharmaceutical technology, in space and nuclear technology, is again an area that we can share our experience.

There is an enormous potential for trade in this region, and India is a country of over 1 billion people. We have a very strong middle class, much larger than the entire populations of many countries in Europe, and with the same kind, if not more purchasing power. So the market here and the market in India are natural partners in economic development.

Then there is a tremendous possibility of making investment in India, and investment from India into this region. So we are looking at tremendous possibilities. ASEAN itself has not fully integrated yet, because there are three stages of development here. There are countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand (as well as Brunei) which are at a high level of development.

And we have countries like Indonesia which is not quite on the same level. And then we have Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. So we are cooperating with ASEAN to do something special for these countries, the initiative for ASEAN integration.

We have started negotiating with ASEAN over Free Trade Agreements (FTA). So there is a lot that ASEAN and India can contribute to each other (involving) a larger area, people-to- people contact, cultural, educational contacts.

And there are also historical links. I watched the Ramayana dance at the Prambanan temple. I went to see the Borobudur temple (both in Central Java), I went to Bali. There is so much in common, not only with Indonesia but with other parts of Southeast Asia also.

Both Indonesia and India have been regarded as the leader in their respective regional group, ASEAN for Indonesia and India for South Asian Regional Cooperation (SARC), and there are complaints regarding their respective role as the "big brother" of their smaller neighbors. Your comment?

I can't see a reason for these complaints -- if there is such a complaint. We are an equal partner in SARC ... Both India and Indonesia have the advantage of a large population.

But despite the population, size, economic and military strength, we want to deal with countries in the SARC region on the basis of sovereign equality. And therefore no country needs to fear India. We are offering the huge Indian market.

And Indonesia's large population is a very powerful magnet for the products of the ASEAN region. Therefore nobody in ASEAN needs to fear Indonesia, or feel that Indonesia is a 'big brother'. Similarly nobody in SARC has such a feeling about India.

What is India's position at the World Trade Organization (WTO) talks in Cancun later this month, especially in regard to the agricultural sector? How can India work together with ASEAN on this issue?

There are three factors involved here: market access, export subsidies and domestic support for agriculture. Now what we oppose is the fact that the European Union and the United States came together and produced the draft which laid all the emphasis on market access, but did not deal with the issues of export subsidies and domestic support. We feel -- not only India, but also Southeast Asia and many other parts of the world -- that agriculture is not merely an economic activity.

It is a way of life. We have 650 million farmers in India, who are not only dependent on agriculture for their livelihood, but they provide and have provided for centuries the way of life that we have now. And this cannot be satisfied by permitting unrestricted and unequal imports, just as they have to protect their uncompetitive agriculture which is dependent entirely on domestic support and export subsidies.

Small family-based farms here in India, in this region and in the SARC region, have to be recognized as a central fact. We don't subsidize our farmers as much as the Western countries do. And therefore we do not have a level playing field. And that is why India has worked together with other developing countries to put forward an alternative draft to be discussed in Cancun, and hopefully a resolution will be found.

Many Indonesians may not realize that Indonesia and India are close geographically, because Nicobar island is so close to Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam waters. Are there any sea boundary problems with Indonesia?

(Nicobar) is only 50 nautical kilometers between the northern tip of Indonesia and the southern tip of India, between Aceh and southern Nicobar islands. So we have a lot of interest for both sides (the two countries are still discussing the determination of their respective Exclusive Economic Zone in the area -- Ed.)

What are the most important aspects for our bilateral ties?

The most important task is to cooperate fully as far as the common terrorism threat is concerned. We have also taken a number of steps to increase our economic engagement, and to increase people-to-people contacts.

India has close ties with Myanmar while ASEAN has strongly urged the military junta there to release Aung San Suu Kyi. What is your government's stance on this issue?

We have said that the process of national reconciliation must go on. We are the world's greatest and largest democracy and therefore we would like democratic forces to take Myanmar towards democracy and that Aung San Suu Kyi should be released, so that this new situation (the political stalemate) with other regional group members could be resolved.