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We can have a calming influence: Blair
By Hasan Suroor
The Karnataka Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, receiving the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, and his wife, Cherie Blair, in Bangalore on Friday. The city Mayor, K. Chandrashekar, (extreme right) is also seen. - Photo: T.L. Prabhakar
LONDON, JAN. 4. The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has warned that a confrontation between India and Pakistan will have ``far-reaching consequences'' and can destabilise the entire region if it gets out of control.
Speaking to British newspersons accompanying him on his visit to the subcontinent, Mr. Blair said he had discussed at length the crisis over Kashmir with the United States President, George Bush, and hoped that his talks in New Delhi and Islamabad would have a ``calming influence'' on the nuclear neighbours.
``This is obviously a very tense and difficult situation. If the conflict were to escalate out of control, it would have serious consequences, not just for India and Pakistan, but for the whole of this region and the wider world,'' he said. His comments were widely reported in the British media today along with the Chinese Foreign Minister, Tan Jiaxuan's warning that a large-scale armed conflict between India and Pakistan would influence the peace process in Afghanistan and ``endanger'' stability in all of Asia.
Mr. Blair played down his role in defusing the tension, saying, ``I cannot solve the Kashmir dispute by going to India and Pakistan - of course not - but I hope that by putting strong views on behalf of everybody in the international community, we can have a calming influence.''
Indicating the concern in London and Washington over the increasing Indo-Pakistan tension, he said he had been speaking regularly to Mr. Bush on the issue because ``it is a very serious issue with far-reaching consequences''.
``As we saw on September 11, the danger is that when these events occur they do not stop at the border of any one country.
Attention has focussed on India and Pakistan because of the enormous problems the whole of the wider world would face if they get it wrong.''
The BBC quoted Mr. Blair's officials as saying that he would demonstrate ``respect'' for India's position in the current conflict. ``That means soothing Indian resentment at the way its great rival has found acceptance in the international community, thanks to Pakistan's support for the international coalition against terrorism, while at the same time regarding those India sees as terrorists as freedom fighters,'' its correspondent travelling with Mr. Blair said.
According to The Guardian, Mr. Blair would deliver ``tough'' messages to both New Delhi and Islamabad - advising New Delhi to ``de-escalate'' tension and Islamabad to act more firmly against groups India blames for the attack on its Parliament on December 13. ``I cannot start telling each country how to run their own affairs. But of course what we want is for the Pakistani side to act against terrorism. On the Indian side - to try to de- escalate tension... It is very important that, given the military capability of both powers, we do everything we possibly can to calm the situation.''
The Times said that while Mr. Blair welcomed the steps taken by the Pakistan President, Pervez Musharraf, to address Indian concerns, he wanted him to crack down harder on terrorist groups operating out of Pakistan.
``It is important that Pakistan does everything possible to ensure that it cannot be used to carry out these terrorist attacks on civilians.''
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