India raises Powell's remarks on Kashmir

By Atul Aneja

NEW DELHI, OCT. 16. The U.S. Secretary of State, Gen. Colin Powell arrived here this evening on a mission to keep Indo-Pak. tensions on Kashmir in check, expand bilateralism and hold detailed discussions with New Delhi on the future of Afghanistan.

Gen. Powell was received at the airport by the Foreign Secretary, Ms. Chokila Iyer, the Indian ambassador to the U.S., Mr. Lalit Mansingh and the U.S. ambassador to India, Mr. Robert Blackwill.``It is a pleasure to be in India and here in New Delhi'', said Gen. Powell but declined to take questions from reporters. ``I will meet you tomorrow,'' he told a battery of media personnel which had assembled at the airport.

Later in the evening, Gen. Powell held a 50-minute one-to-one talks with the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh at Hyderabad House. This was followed by delegation-level talks over dinner. The U.S. delegation includes, Assistant Secretary of State on South Asia, Ms. Christina Rocca, Mr. John Bolton, Undersecretary, Arms Control and International Security, Mr. Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary, Public Affairs and a representative from the office of the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Besides Mr. Jaswant Singh, the Indian delegation included the Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Brajesh Mishra, the Foreign Secretary, Ms. Chokila Iyer, and Adviser (Security) to the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Arun Singh.

During his 20-hour stop in the capital, Gen. Powell is expected to hear out India's views on Kashmir and the future of Afghanistan. India's perceptions are expectedly at variance with those expressed by Pakistan. Besides, India and the U.S. differ on the road map which can help defuse Indo-Pak tensions in Kashmir. Both sides are therefore expected to narrow down their differences on the approach for resolving the Kashmir issue during talks.

Not surprisingly, the issue of Kashmir and Gen. Powell's pubic remarks in Islamabad about the centrality of Kashmir in the Indo- Pak. equation came up for discussions in the evening. The spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, who briefed the media after the dinner meeting, however, declined to go into details.

Earlier during the day, she rejected the assertion about the centrality of Kashmir. India, she maintained wished to address Indo-Pak. relations in a ``composite manner.''

She also dismissed the notion that Kashmir was at the ``heart'' of the friction between India and Pakistan. Instead, it was the ``state sponsorship of terrorism'' by Pakistan which was the root cause of Jammu and Kashmir's predicament.

Government sources pointed out that the main purpose of Gen. Powell's visit here is to ensure that the international coalition retains its focus on terrorism radiating from Afghanistan. Consequently ``diversionary'' military tensions, such as those existing between India and Pakistan, have to be kept under control. Gen. Powell during his stay at Islamabad advocated resumption of Indo-Pak. talks as a therapy for lowering Indo-Pak. tensions. He also indicated that ``moderate'' members of the Taliban could be accommodated in a future political arrangement in Afghanistan.

India, on its part, would like the Powell visit to promote its key policy objective of diminishing terrorist violence in Kashmir. Concerned about excessive Pakistani influence in Afghanistan since the early nineties, India would also not like to miss the ``historic'' opportunity of being recognised as a player in the post-Taliban phase.

India, Government sources said, would like to make three points during Gen. Powell's stay. First, resumption of talks with Pakistan was unlikely unless it reined in cross-border terrorism. Second, any future dialogue with Islamabad had to be broad-based and not focused on the narrow agenda of Kashmir. Third, India is not inclined to accept accommodation of the Taliban in any form in a future political arrangement in Afghanistan.

Asked to comment on whether the ``moderates'' within Taliban could be included in Afghanistan's new political structure, the spokesperson said such a proposition was an ``oxymoron.''``There is no place for the Taliban. What we envisage is a fully representative structure reflecting Afghanistan's multi-ethnic mosaic.''

While India had welcomed the lifting of economic sanctions on Pakistan, it was wary of the possible easing of U.S. curbs on weapon supply to Islamabad. This was because, in the past, India has been the target of U.S.-supplied weapons to Pakistan, official sources said.

Gen. Powell on Wednesday is expected to call on the Prime Minister, meet the Union Home Minister and later address a joint press conference with the External Affairs Minister, Mr. Jaswant Singh.

PTI reports from Washington:

Calling for Indo-Pak. dialogue on Kashmir, the U.S. today said the two countries need to resolve the issue ``peacefully''.

``The two sides need to resolve'' the Kashmir issue `peacefully', the State Department spokesman, Mr. Philip Reeker told reporters here.

When asked whether such statements by the U.S. do not amount to rewarding Pakistan, Mr. Reeker denied it and said ``we have made clear statements ... about denouncing the behaviour of those who have perpetrated terrorist attacks like those made in Srinagar.''

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