The Hindu : Appreciate security concerns: Sinha

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 11, 2003

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Appreciate security concerns: Sinha

By Our Diplomatic Correspondent

NEW DELHI Jan. 10. The External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, said today that South Asian countries have to be aware of and sensitive to each other's security concerns.

``And it is quite clear that if those security concerns become overpowering, then many other areas of cooperation are lost sight of temporarily or in the long run....'' he said.

In an address at a seminar on South Asia, Mr. Sinha said the region had a shared history. ``We have so much in common. We are joined together by geography and, therefore, there is no way we can either ignore each other or not afford to be friendly and cooperative. We must live with each other.''

He said India's size and population need not be held against it. ``There is nothing we can do about it. It is there. I notice that it arouses some apprehensions. I hasten to add that these suspicions and apprehensions are not well-founded. We have no other desire or intention than to be able to live in peace and friendship with our neighbours....''

Making a pointed reference to the presence of the former Prime Minister, I.K. Gujral, at the seminar, Mr. Sinha said it was in 1996 that we heard of the ``famous'' Gujral doctrine. ``India remains committed to the good neighbourhood policy of Mr. (Atal Behari) Vajpayee. India remains committed to the Gujral doctrine and today I would like to say that we are prepared to move further ahead also in the direction of peace, friendship and prosperity to all our neighbours,'' he said.

``Now, when we think of the future, we perhaps have to forget the past. What can be learnt is avoiding the mistakes we made in the past.''

``I am extremely disappointed that after having come formally into existence 17 years ago, SAARC has not been able to move or make progress with regard to its primary objective of economic cooperation between the members of SAARC,'' he said, pointing to the very limited items on offer for preferential trade.

``So what should we do? My specific suggestions are India is ready to enter into a free trade arrangement in SAARC, in South Asia tomorrow.... let us look in concrete terms at a free trade arrangement. And, as I said, we will be more than willing to do it tomorrow.'' He said people-to-people contact would grow once trade moves forward. ``On behalf of India, let me tell you that whatever strengths we have built over the years in terms of technology, in terms of human resource development...."

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