The Hindu : India, Pakistan can reach accord, says Sinha

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Feb 17, 2004

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National

India, Pakistan can reach accord, says Sinha

By Amit Baruah

NEW DELHI, FEB. 16. It will not be difficult for India and Pakistan to reach an agreement on the time-frame, detailed agenda and the level of talks, the External Affairs Minister, Yashwant Sinha, said here today.

Such agreements in the preliminary round of talks had become possible since a lot of work had been done by the two countries in the past year, Mr. Sinha told a joint press conference after meeting the European Union troika of Ministers.

Pointing out that Joint Secretary-level officials had begun in Islamabad today, he said that any issues "left over" from the two-day talks of Joint Secretaries would be dealt with when the Foreign Secretaries meet on February 18.

On the E.U.'s offer to help in resolving differences between India and Pakistan, Mr. Sinha said that he was grateful for the offer, but issues between New Delhi and Islamabad were best resolved bilaterally.

He said India and the E.U. had exchanged views on combating international terrorism. "Establishment of [an] India-E.U. Joint Working Group on [combating] terrorism is a natural culmination of our common commitment in our fight against terrorism."

The Irish Foreign Minister, who heads the E.U. troika, Brian Cowen, said the Union welcomed India's readiness to "commence today" the process of composite dialogue with Pakistan, including on the Kashmir issue. "We wish him [Mr. Sinha] well in these negotiations and remain willing to assist in any way required."

Referring to the proliferation of nuclear weapons' technology from Pakistan, Mr. Cowen, who will be visiting Islamabad shortly, said this was an international issue and had to be dealt with collectively.

Applauding the South Asian Regional Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) for agreeing to a free trade area, he said regional cooperation was a key factor in expanding the zone of peace and prosperity.

At a separate press conference, the E.U.'s External Relations Commissioner, Chris Patten, said the whole international community welcomed the courage and commitment shown by India and Pakistan in resuming the dialogue process.

"The outside world should be patient. The issues involved are complicated and difficult. The international community should be patient and supportive," Mr. Patten said.

Asked about differences between India and the E.U. on New Delhi signing the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty (NPT), he conceded that differences existed between the two entities. "I do not think either of us are going to change our position."

All countries, he said, had responsibilities to ensure that no proliferation activities took place. India and the E.U., he stressed, were agreed on the dangers of proliferation.

"Everybody must behave responsibly in relation to export controls," he said, adding that if European countries were involved in recent proliferation efforts, they should be investigated and taken to court.

On whether the E.U. was still keen on establishing a human rights dialogue with India on the lines of what it had with China, Mr. Patten said that it was important that a dialogue take place, but said there was no comparison between India and China.

The situation with China was a completely different one — China was not a democracy and did not have the rule of law. India, he said, was a democracy, adding that the issue of the Gujarat communal killings (on which the E.U. has previously expressed concern) did not figure in the discussions today.

According to Mr. Patten, India and the E.U. had agreed to put in place a system where senior officials discussed issues of concern, which were then passed on to the Ministers if required.

He said the draft text of an agreement on the Galileo Satellite Navigation System had been sent to India and further discussions would now take place. Separately, the E.U. was offering five million euros to help SAARC harmonise its regulations and build necessary institutions for free trade arrangements.

On trade negotiations, Mr. Patten said both India and the E.U. had an interest in getting the Doha round of talks going again, adding that 2004 should not be a wasted year.

The E.U. Commissioner was clear that there was no backlash in the E.U. as far as the issue of business process outsourcing was concerned. "What you will see is some politicians making a fuss... We cannot advocate global trade on our terms. This is not a zero-sum game."

For the E.U., a ban on outsourcing was a "no-no", Mr. Patten said.

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