The Hindu : Careful preparation needed, PM writes to Jamali

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 04, 2003

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Careful preparation needed, PM writes to Jamali

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI May 3. A polite, diplomatic reply has been sent by New Delhi to Islamabad's letter inviting the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, to Pakistan, but Mr. Vajpayee has no immediate plans for a summit-level meeting with his counterpart, Mir Zafarulllah Khan Jamali.

Responding to a formal letter from Mr. Jamali to resume talks on all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Vajpayee said tonight that careful preparation was required for a dialogue at the highest level. A conducive atmosphere for dialogue required an end to cross-border terrorism and dismantling of the terrorist infrastructure, he pointed out.

According to a foreign office spokesman here, Mr. Vajpayee pointed to his decision to send back a High Commissioner to Pakistan and restore the civil aviation links and hoped that Islamabad would respond positively to these proposals.

All "normal courtesies" had been observed in the letter, the spokesman said adding that Mr. Vajpayee's reply had been sent to the Indian High Commission in Islamabad to be handed over to Mr. Jamali's office.

Informed sources said Mr. Jamali's letter had said that a warm welcome awaited Mr. Vajpayee in Pakistan while calling for talks on all bilateral issues, including Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha yesterday, the Prime Minister said about Monday's telephone conversation with Mr. Jamali: "Pakistan's Prime Minister has invited me to Pakistan. I did not accept it (the invitation). I don't want to say anything further."

It would appear that the formal invitation from Mr. Jamali "stands", but there has been no direct "acceptance" or "rejection" from India to the meeting offer. Also, New Delhi, while willing to appear reasonable and dialogue-oriented, is sticking to its guns on the all-crucial issue of cross-border terrorism. Any forward movement on this issue would be very welcome in New Delhi.

By referring to a dialogue on all issues, including Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, too, is making it plain that the most important issue for it remains Kashmir.

In continuing contacts at a high-level, the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, telephoned the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, from Damascus last night, and welcomed Mr. Vajpayee's initiative. Mr. Sinha also spoke to his French counterpart, Dominique de Villepin, who described the "third" effort by the Prime Minister as a "very courageous move".

The sources also stated that the Government had decided against sending Harsh Bhasin, previously designated "ambassador-in-waiting", as the new High Commissioner to Pakistan. Fresh names will be considered for the job, the sources maintained. They stated that India had decided on a "calibrated road map" to deal with Islamabad as the process of re-engagement unfolded with Pakistan. Much, of course, would depend on the response from Islamabad.

The sources were firm that India would not be "hustled" into speeding things up by anyone. They were equally firm that it was "incumbent" on both parties to ensure that the process of rapprochement was not allowed to fail this time round.

Unanimity on PM's initiative

Asked about a report in a section of the press that spoke of deep differences within the higher echelons of the Government on dealing with Pakistan again, the sources replied that it was "completely fictitious". An informal meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security was held on Thursday, they said, but there was "complete unanimity" on the initiative taken by Mr. Vajpayee to try and build bridges with Pakistan once again.

New Delhi, the sources said, was ready to consider "talks-about-talks", but a summit-level contact was not being considered in the Indian scheme of things as of now. Interestingly, the "step-by-step" approach has been widely referred to in official circles, confirming that the talks will begin at the level of officials, possibly involving Joint Secretaries (Director-General in the case of Pakistan) at the first stage.

After months of stalemate, diplomatic contacts between India and Pakistan seem to have resumed in earnest.

Well-wishers of this process, especially in the light of the Lahore and Agra results, are keeping their fingers crossed.

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