German FM woos Indian computer experts

The German foreign minister, Joschka Fischer, has dismissed fears that there is opposition within his country to the idea of Indian computer experts settling in Germany.

He told a conference in the Indian city of Bangalore, which is often described as India's Silicon Valley, that Germany was keen to attract Indian software engineers and that the issue was only raised as an election ploy by the opposition.

Germany, which has an acute shortage of computer experts, has already said it wants to give visas to twenty-thousand foreign nationals to boost its high-technology sector.

India has a large number of software professionals, many of whom are granted visas to work in the United States. Correspondents say Germany will have difficulty competing especially given the opposition attempts to tap anti-immigrant sentiments by contesting a recent regional election with the slogan "Children not Indians".

Mr Fischer is due to meet his Indian counterpart, Jaswant Singh, on Thursday in Delhi.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service