U.S. urges restraint in missile tests

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JUNE 17. The Clinton administration has expressed ``regret'' at India's decision to proceed with tests of the Prithvi missile, saying that the United States had long urged countries developing missile systems, including India, to exercise restraint.

``Missile testing has the potential to increase tensions in the region and we hope that India will consider the impact of its tests under the current circumstances,'' the State Department spokesman, Mr. Richard Boucher, said on Friday.

The State Department also addressed the issue of the relative strengths of the Indian and Pakistani nuclear capabilities in the context of a recent report that said Islamabad was ahead, both in quality and quantity. The U.S. has maintained that while it was not in a position to discuss the issue in any great detail, it was troubled by the speculation such reports had generated in the region.

``It is clear that both India and Pakistan have the capability to assemble and to use nuclear weapons, that both are pursuing means of delivery and both continue active programmes to produce more fissile material for weapons. We're not prepared... to get into a public discussion of these capabilities. Suffice to say while there are differences in the programmes between the two countries, overall we believe there is rough parity in their nuclear and delivery capabilities. Whatever differences exist do not appear to be strategically significant,'' he remarked.

The Clinton administration, while taking note of the statement of India and Pakistan on wanting to avoid an arms race, has argued that the U.S. and the international community continued to be concerned about the possibilities of that kind of competition which would greatly add to the tensions and dangers in South Asia.

``Speculation about who could deploy more bombs or who has more nuclear capable aircraft or missiles is, in itself, potentially destabilising. We've had some experience with this in the Cold war, when misunderstandings and misinformation led to accelerated strategic competition. We hope that India and Pakistan do not go in that direction,'' the spokesman remarked.

Mr. Boucher argued that the U.S. was not only troubled by the conclusions being drawn on the differences in the Indian and Pakistani nuclear and missile programmes but also troubled by speculation about the ``implications of differentials''.

The U.S. believed that there was basically ``strategic stability'' and ``equality of capabilities'' between India and Pakistan. ``We're worried that the perceptions of strategically significant differences, which we don't think exist, could then lead to actions which could have further destabilisation.''

The State Department gave its version of what transpired between the visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdul Sattar, and senior officials of the administration. Mr. Sattar had detailed meetings with the Deputy Secretary of State, Mr. Strobe Talbott, and the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Mr. Thomas Pickering. He also called on the Secretary of State, Ms. Madeleine Albright.

According to the spokesman, the discussions between Mr. Sattar and Mr. Talbott focussed on mutual concerns about preserving South Asian security, preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and missile delivery systems and exploring ways of reducing tension between India and Pakistan primarily over Kashmir.

The U.S. urged Pakistan again to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, move ahead on the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, the possibility of a multilateral moratorium on production pending conclusion of the treaty and tougher export controls.

During Mr. Sattar's meeting with Mr. Pickering, it was stressed that while Washington was ``pleased'' that Gen. Pervez Musharraf had accepted the Supreme Court's three-year time limit for restoring democracy, the administration continued to believe that a detailed road map should be presented and that the process be carried out as quickly as possible. They also discussed terrorism as it related to Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden and Pakistan's economic reform efforts.

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