¡¡¡¡By Jiang Yaping ¡¡¡¡

    NEW DELHI, Nov. 7 (Xinhuanet) -- Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh left here Sunday for a three-day visit to The Hague to attend the fifth India-European Union Summit aimed at promoting their growing ties to a strategic level.

    Minister of Foreign Affairs K. Natwar Singh, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath, National Security Adviser J.N. Dixitand other senior officials are part of the Prime Minister's entourage.

    During the annual summit which opens on Monday, the two sides will endorse a document on "strategic partnership" that India's Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran said "marks the culmination of a journey of cooperation which began many years ago."

    The Prime Minister welcomed on Sunday the strategic partnership agreement that India will sign with the European Union (EU) at the summit, saying the move was a recognition of India's growing stature and influence.

    "We warmly welcome this development," he said in a statement before departure for the Dutch city.

    According to Indian Foreign Ministry officials, strengthening cooperation in combating terrorism will be a "priority area" underthe India-European Union Strategic Partnership that will be signedby the Indian Prime Minister and EU leaders at the end of the summit.

    A joint statement to be issued at the end of the talks will condemn "all acts, methods and practices of terrorism" and stress that solidarity and international cooperation are integral to fighting the scourge.

    The two sides will seek to deepen international consensus and efforts to combat terrorism by reducing the access of terrorists to financial and other economic resources, local media quoted the statement as saying.

    India and the EU are also expected to announce a series of steps, including setting up a mechanism for dialogue on disarmament and non-proliferation, to intensify bilateral engagements and signal their new "strategic partnership".

    Another joint statement to be issued at the summit will announce their decision to set up an energy panel to coordinate joint efforts in this field. The draft statement to be adopted at the summit said disarmament and non-proliferation are articles of faith for both sides despite differences in approach.

    Despite the initial strident criticism by some European countries over New Delhi's nuclear tests in 1998, there is now recognition in the EU of India's "impeccable record in non-proliferation".

    The draft statement says: "India and EU are resolved to be partners in promoting global peace and security and remain committed to the goal of universal disarmament."

    The two sides will agree that effective control measures for dual use goods -- that can be used for civilian and military purposes -- can play an important role in preventing proliferation.

    Local officials said India and the European Union are ready to go closer to an agreement on joint participation in the EU's ambitious 1.1-billion-euro Galileo satellite navigation project.

    India has pledged 300 million euros for the project, that has been conceived as an alternative to Global Positioning System (GPS)of the United States, a worldwide radio navigation system supported by a constellation of 24 satellites and their ground stations.

    "We welcome the progress in the ongoing discussion in the EU-India draft cooperation agreement on the Galileo satellite navigation project. It will ensure India's equitable participation in Galileo space, ground and user segments and will guarantee the availability of highest quality signals over the Indian territory," a draft of the joint statement says. Enditem