Sino-Indian ties look up

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, NOV. 24. India today announced a forward movement in Sino-Indian relations with both countries exchanging maps for the first time ever on the 545-kilometre long Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the middle sector.

Winding up a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on the international situation, the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, informed the House of the `significant' development.

He said both sides now have delineated maps on an agreed scale in the mid-sector starting from Himachal Pradesh to a tri-junction on India, China and Nepal in Uttaranchal.

The next step would be to compare the maps and identify the differences on the LAC and a similar exercise would be later carried out on the Western and Eastern sector of the Sino-Indian border.

The formal exchange of maps took place at the eighth meeting of Sino-Indian expert group held in Beijing earlier this month. In a communication to his Chinese counterpart in May, Mr. Singh had suggested that the clarification of LAC could be completed in a time-bound manner by end of next year.

He said that the Sino-Indian border had been largely peaceful and New Delhi was looking forward to improving relations.

In an hour-long reply to the discussion, he initiated Mr. Jaswant Singh, reiterated that India was willing to talk to Pakistan provided the environment was conducive free of violence, tension, cross-border terrorism and killings.

He said New Delhi was not willing to concede that violence could be used as an instrument of negotiation or as a `pre-dialogue negotiating tactic'. The Minister said he would appeal to Pakistan to come to terms with `history and geography'.

Referring to the observation by the Congress on the decision to go nuclear and the stand on the CTBT, Mr. Singh said the Pokhran- II tests were conducted to strike a balance between demands of `realpolitik' and disarmament.

On the question whether the tests conducted in May, 1998 were adequate, he said that while differences in scientific community on the yield were common, India had placed a voluntary moratorium on conducting further tests but the inherent right to do so was `not foreclosed or foregone'. He also reiterated India would not come in the way of implementing the CTBT.

The upswing in Indo-U.S. relations which resulted in both countries signing a ``Vision Statement'' was to ensure predictability and stability in New Delhi-Washington ties. In the same breath, he said, the signing of the document on Strategic Partnership between India and Russia was `not a small achievement' either.

Denying a change in approach to West Asia, he said India was committed to the Palestinian cause and described sanctions against Iraq as `unjust and unwise'.

Similarly relations between India and the European Union and Japan, which witnessed a dip after May, 1998, had improved. The proposed visit of three Ministers from Africa

to New Delhi was an indicator of strength of relations with nations in that Continent.

Mr. Singh said it was `unfair' to state that India had ignored regional groupings. The SAARC was moving on technical and official levels and referred to the thrust on development through economic cooperation in the neighbourhood and South East Asia.

On Sri Lanka, he said that while New Delhi stood committed to territorial integrity of the Island nation, it hoped Colombo would also meet the aspirations of all people. He ruled out military support to Sri Lanka.

Turning to expansion of U.N. Security Council (UNSC), Mr. Singh said interestingly India was among the three nations which many felt in the U.N. could be included in the expanded UNSC with Japan and Germany being the other two.

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