Q.
This was a peaceful coup?
A.
Absolutely peaceful coup. We did not discontinue our meeting. We completed the meeting till lunch time. When we came out on the roads, we did not see any sign of the coup. But when we reached the hotel, the hotel authorities told us that we should not make any haste to get out on the roads now. I also remember that it was during this conference that news came through about the death of the Ethiopian Emperor. Haile Salessie. Clearly, the old order was yielding place to new even in countries as far apart as Peru and Ethiopia.
Q.
You had held a meeting of Indian envoys in the. Latin American and the Caribbean areas in Mexico in 1975. Could you give an idea of India's closeness to the Latin American countries?
A.
I was in Latin America for the first time. I thought that I should meet the ambassadors to the Latin American countries in a conference in Mexico. I saw a very close cultural affinity between Latin America and India. In Latin America there was great respect and interest for Indian culture, Indian leaders and personalities. Many of these countries were also members of the non-aligned movement. There was appreciation of India's international policy. But there was not much of economic or political follow-up of these basic advantages, the reason being the distance between India and Latin America. The second was the language problem. We are deficient in our knowledge of Spanish. At one stage we thought we should have Spanish publicity material emanating from India.
Foreign Affairs Management
Q.
We have so far been talking about foreign affairs and international relations. Your meeting with Indian envoys in Mexico brings us to the question of management and administration in foreign affairs. May 1 add that not so long ago it was generally felt that foreign relations are political, esoteric or secret, and are not to be shared with the common man or the enlightened citizen. What are your views on administration and management in the Ministry of External Affairs?
A.
I think this is a very important question — the question of the mechanics of managing the foreign policy of the country. One of the instruments of foreign policy is basically the foreign services officers' cadre. One has to look at this cadre from a fresh angle. If administration is to be invigorated, some new thoughts will have to be introduced in this field. I had taken up this matter with the Prime Minister and I remember to have made the following points.