In an exclusive interview to The Indian Express, Hain said this was a ``pivotal time'' for Indo-British relations because ``we need to move into the new century on the basis of an entirely new relationship, which is a partnership of equals, no longer under the shadow of the old colonial era''.

Sitting in his office where a poster of Nelson Mandela dominates the wall above his desk, Hain said he represented a modern British government in which people like him, who had been involved in independence movements, were ministers.

Hain's family was forced to leave South Africa when he was 16 because of hisparents' opposition to the apartheid regime. He said that coming from this background, he ``understands the strong feelings there still are about colonial exploitation'', but that he ``has no truck with that heritage''. He said that while former colonies were justified in being sensitive about their relationship with their colonisers and former colonial powers like Britain had ``in the past been insensitive'' the future would not wait.

Pointing to the information technology revolution, threats to the environment (``of which the recent cyclone was an example'') and China ``the sleeping giant of the world economy'' he said, ``You can get stuck in the past and find that the future overtakes you with a vengeance.''

Hain suggested that India's High Commissioner in London, Lalit Mansingh, who returns as Foreign Secretary, shares an understanding of ``where both of us are coming from''. But, he stressed, there was a need for a wider acceptance inside and outside governments of this new direction. Britainsaw India as ``an absolutely crucial nation for the next century''. He said India's size, its population and its strategic importance made it a significant player and influence on world affairs. As the world's largest democracy, ``it sets a very important standard for other countries in the region and other countries in the world to look at''.

The Minister said he hoped India would sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty because ``it would be enormously to India's credit if it was not deflected by the shameful, disgraceful decision by the US Senate to fail to ratify the treaty''. He said it would signal that India was a ``confident nation'' with nothing to hide and ``a declared nuclear state''. This was a subject he would like to have a dialogue on ``as a friend of India, as a representative of a government that is an important partner of India in the next century''.

He praised India's response to the coup in Pakistan, saying Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had ``adopted a very statesman-like positionthat is to be applauded''. He expressed the hope that India would see ``the unhappy experience of Pakistan as an opportunity to show generosity towards its people''. The sooner the Lahore process ``for which the Indian Prime Minister deserves congratulations'' was resumed, the better it would be, he observed.

Hain denied that the Commonwealth's response to the coup failed to make an impact, insisting that General Musharraf was ``very upset''. He said the organisation's success was reflected in ``how desperate members are for Commonwealth approval'' and asserted that Pakistan would prefer to be in the Commonwealth than out of it. He insisted that Pakistan's suspension from the Commonwealth's councils had give it ``pariah status''.

Britain, he said, wanted the restoration of a ``proper democracy'' in Pakistan, which included ``economic modernisation, a non-aggressive stance towards neighbours and withdrawal of support for terrorism''. When Britain called for a return to democracy, it did not mean thereturn of Nawaz Sharif's government, which was ``corrupted to the back teeth and discredited''. Asked how long Britain expected this process would take, Hain responded, ``Sooner rather than later,'' adding that he did not want a repeat of Zia's declaration of a return to democracy ``in 90 days...which was 11 years''. He said: ``I would rather Musharraf gives a commitment that he sticks to than a timetable plucked out of the air.''

During his visit, Hain will go to Bangalore where he is expected to announce a partnership initiative between British institutions and companies in software engineering. Responding to a question about complaints from British firms about the difficulties in hiring IT professionals from India, he said: ``I don't think we want an IT drain, do we...we don't actually need people to come here, a lot of this can be done over fibre-optic cables...like the BA ticket operation.'' Asked if there was a quota system for work visas for IT professionals from India, Hain said there was noquota.

The British government has also announced a 808,000 pounds (around $-1.3 million) emergency aid package for Orissa, to be delivered through three aid agencies Care, Save the Children and Christian Aid. Hain said this was to show his government's support from the people of Orissa and as a recognition of the enormity of the disaster that had hit them. He said a team from Britain's Department of International Development was in contact with the Orissa government to assess if it needed any long-term assistance.