India for concerted action

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, SEPT. 16. India does not support any hasty military action in Afghanistan and would like the campaign against international terrorism to be a collective exercise by world's democracies.

This is expected to be conveyed by the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh, to the U.S. leadership during his likely visit to Washington by the month-end, according to highly-placed sources. He is expected to hold extensive discussions with his counterpart, Gen. Colin Powell, and the U.S. Defence Secretary, Mr. Donald Rumsfeld. A call on the President, Mr. George Bush, is also on the cards.

The U.S. is interacting with key nations, including India, in its effort to work out an effective response to counter international terrorism.

During the day, Mr. Singh also had an extended talk with the Russian Foreign Minister, Mr. Igor Ivanov. The two leaders stressed that they should remain in constant touch and share perceptions. The Russian track, sources said, was fully operational as the National Security Adviser, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, was already in Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart, Mr. Vladimir Rushailo.

The Indian approach to international terrorism, in the wake of the attacks on the U.S., is based on three key points, according to sources. Firstly, recognising that it is a long haul, India would like military action to be preceded by thorough preparation. It would mean a threadbare analysis of intelligence on sanctuaries, bases and terrorist-funding network spread across the world. The anti-terrorist campaign should combat the ``system'' which breeds terrorism and not confine itself to ``symptoms.'' A reservoir of military supplies which can cater to any eventuality must be created in advance. The nature of warfare against terrorism is distinct and a mere recourse to air strikes may be insufficient.

Secondly, New Delhi is reluctant to endorse unilateral military strikes. Any step in this direction, instead, should be taken collectively by a ``concert of democracies.'' An international legal framework against terrorism and a sophisticated intelligence-sharing mechanism among the democracies, participating in this campaign, need to be created. The draft U.N. Convention against terrorism could also be given more teeth.

Thirdly, sufficient economic pressure should be applied on the Taliban regime. The U.N. Security Council resolutions, which aim to isolate Afghanistan by sealing its borders with Pakistan, already exist. Any flow of material from the Iranian border to Herat is ruled out as Teheran has closed its Afghan border. The U.S. may also not find it difficult to persuade Turkemenistan, which shares a long boundary with Afghanistan, to comply. With winter approaching, heavy refugee exodus from Afghanistan across the Amu Darya into Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in Central Asia can be expected.

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