LEAD: India, EU discuss agenda for summit

Jan 16, 2012, 13:34 GMT

New Delhi - India and the European Union Monday held talks on trade and security issues Monday ahead of their summit next month, officials said.

EU chief diplomat Catherine Ashton and India's Foreign Minister SM Krishna chaired talks in the southern city of Bangalore to prepare for the 12th India-EU summit on February 10 in New Delhi.

The meeting covered issues including counter-terrorism, climate change and differences over a proposed free trade pact, Indian diplomats said.

Krishna said the two sides held 'useful discussions' and committed to intensifying cooperation in diverse fields including trade and investment, energy, science and technology and counter-terrorism.

'Through our discussions today, we have been able to take stock of what has been achieved in the last one year and prepared on a substantive basis to take our cooperation forward during the upcoming India-EU Summit meeting.'

Regarding the free trade agreement, Ashton said the pact would take some more time to materialize and the discussions on it would continue, state-run All India Radio reported.

The two sides have been negotiating a trade pact for nearly five years, but have stalled over tariff barriers and the EU's attempts to include links to the environment and child labour.

The EU is India's largest trading partner with bilateral volume worth 86 billion dollars in 2010. That amount is expected to double by 2015 if the pact is finalized.

Ashton was scheduled to meet with Defence Minister AK Antony and National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon in New Delhi on Tuesday.

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