'Brajesh will continue to hold dual charge'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 23. The Government today clarified that the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, would continue as the National Security Adviser in the foreseeable future.

According to the Defence Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, the National Security Council to which the National Security Adviser belongs is still in its ``formative stage.'' ``The Prime Minister is in charge of the NSC and it is best at this stage that the Principal Secretary continues as NSA,'' he said.

Mr. Singh made these observations in the presence of the Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani, and the Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Sinha, after the release of the 135-page report of the Group of Ministers on reforming the national security system.

Asked to comment on the delay in appointing the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) as the Government's principal military adviser, Mr. Advani said a decision would be taken ``soon''.

Responding to reports about the Chief of the Naval Staff withdrawing from the race for the CDS, Mr. Singh said Admiral Sushil Kumar had done so with an eye on improving the functioning of the inter-services Chief of Staff Committee (COSC). The letter by Admiral Kumar, who headed the COSC, was therefore neither a response to ``the deferment of the decision on CDS'' nor a result of his reported differences with the Indian Air Force. His action was ``truly democratic'' and the Government appreciated it.

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