India, Singapore to combat terror together

Patil, who will be accompanied by a six-member team of senior officials, will be meeting Singapore President Nathan.

India and Singapore will explore ways of cooperation to combat terrorism and drug trafficking and exchange views on capacity building between security agencies during a three-day visit of Home Minister Shivraj Patil to the city-state beginning on Monday.

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Patil, who will be accompanied by a six-member team of senior officials, will be meeting Singapore President SR Nathan, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and holding talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Wong Kan Seng.

"The focus of the Home Minister's visit is to discuss cooperation on exchanging intelligence information on terrorism and organised crime, curbing trafficking in narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and exchanging views on capacity building between law enforcement agencies on the two country," a senior Home Ministry official said on Monday.

New Delhi, the official said, has been looking forward to closely working on security-related areas with Singapore, which has been a supporter of Indian positions on various field including trade with ASEAN, a key grouping of South-East Asian countries. India is a dialogue-partner of ASEAN.

Among others accompanying the Home Minister are Secretary (Border Management) BS Lalli, Additional Secretary PV Bhide, Deputy Director General of Narcotics Control Board (NCB) Rajiv Walia, Joint Secretary (South) in the External Affairs Ministry Biren Nanda and a senior official of the Intelligence Bureau.