New Delhi: Dispelling any fears that strategic defence ties with Israel might slow down with the takeover of Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee today (May 26, 2004) said there was convergence of views among coalition partners on the country's security interests.

At the same time, Mukherjee indicated that major defence deals like building of French Scorpion submarines and multi-role fighter aircraft for the Indian Air Force (IAF) would go through to fulfil the strategic needs of the armed forces.

To a spate of questions whether defence ties with Israel would be stalled as some of the coalition partners were opposed to it, the Defence Minister said such issues would be worked out in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the UPA.

"I do not visualise any problem in a multi-party Government. We may have divergent views, but there is convergence of views when it comes to securing the country," he said.

India and Israel, for the past six years, have entered into major defence deals running into thousands of crores of Rupees. The deals include supply by Israel of Phalcon Air-borne Early Warning System, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), ground sensors and Travor Infantry Combat Assault Rifles.

On the $ two billion Scorpion deal to build the French killer submarines at Mazagaon docks, which was in final stages of approval in the NDA rule, Mukherjee said such deals would go through after a scrutiny.