Bush proposals aimed at `rogue states': Armitage

By C. Raja Mohan

NEW DELHI, MAY 11. The U.S. today insisted that its proposals for missile defence were not directed at either Russia or China but ``rogue states'' which were acquiring weapons of mass destruction to terrorise and blackmail other nations.

Addressing the press here after a day of consultations with the Indian leadership, the visiting U.S. special envoy, Mr. Richard Armitage, said the missile defence programme was aimed at complicating the political calculus of the so-called rogue states.

While referring to the trends of proliferation in India's neighbourhood and reiterating concerns about Islamabad's programmes to acquire and deploy weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems, Mr. Armitage stopped short of directly naming Pakistan as a rogue state.

Asked to name the rogue states, he referred to Libya, Iraq, Iran, North Korea and other countries ``in your neighbourhood''. Pressed to elaborate, he said ``we have questions about Pakistan which are well known and of which you are equally aware''.

Although the speech on missile defences by the U.S. President, Mr. George Bush, last week made extensive references to nuclear threats from deviant states, Mr. Armitage's readiness to point a finger at Pakistan as ``a potential rogue state'' comes as a major surprise.

The political direction in which Pakistan is headed and its implications for the control of nuclear weapons programme there figured prominently in the Indo-U.S. talks today, but the discussion apparently remained inconclusive.

`New relationship'

Mr. Armitage, who is here to seek support from the Indian Government to the Bush administration's ideas on a `strategic framework' for global security, declared the ``beginning of a new relationship between India and the United States''. He called on the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, and handed over a letter from Mr. George Bush accepting the invitation to visit India in the near future. Mr. Bush conveyed his intention ``of working closely'' with Mr. Vajpayee ``to promote common interests in Asia and beyond''.

India is among the few countries which have enthusiastically welcomed Mr. Bush's proposals for moving away from the political premises of the Cold War and building a new global security order. Despite the intense domestic criticism of its effusive support to Mr. Bush, the Government stood its ground and welcomed the American proposals ``as a departure from the norms of the Cold War'' and ``based upon consultation and cooperation rather than confrontation''.

The unexpected political convergence between the Government and the Bush Administration on a new security framework is being seen as the precursor to a more productive political partnership between New Delhi and Washington.

Sanctions' review

Asked about the lifting of nuclear sanctions imposed by the previous administration, Mr. Armitage referred to the current review process in Washington and declared that ``we are on the verge of moving forward in our relationship''. The indications from Washington are that it is only a matter of time before most of the sanctions imposed after India's nuclear tests in May 1998 are lifted.

A Foreign Office spokesman here insisted that it is not the policy of India to seek lifting of sanctions, but pointed to the ``mismatch between sanctions and the new direction of Indo-U.S. relations''.

Mr. Armitage arrived here last night as part of the U.S. effort to consult with ``friends and allies'' in Asia on its plans to build missile defences. He had substantive consultations with the External Affairs Minister, Mr.Jaswant Singh, this afternoon. The two met for nearly an hour before going into a working lunch for the two delegations at the Hyderabad House here.

Mr.Armitage told his Indian interlocutors that Mr. Bush's plan to build a missile defence system is ``only one element of the new strategic framework'' that includes non-proliferation, counter- proliferation and deep reductions of nuclear arsenals.

Mr. Singh, who had strongly welcomed the proposed reductions in nuclear weapons, today reiterated India's hope that the U.S. would pursue its plans ``in a manner that enhances regional and international stability and security''. India also reaffirmed its expectation, expressed during the visit of Russian Foreign Minister, Mr. Igor Ivanov, last week, that the 1972 Anti- Ballistic Missile Treaty between Washington and Moscow would not be abrogated unilaterally by the U.S.

Mr. Armitage also met the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, and the adviser in the Ministries of External Affairs and Defence, Mr. Arun Singh. The U.S. envoy also called on the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Ms. Sonia Gandhi.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Front Page
Next     : PM welcomes U.S. initiative