No change in U.K. position on Kashmir, says Blair

By P. S. Suryanarayana

LONDON, NOV. 12. The Prime Ministers of India and the United Kingdom today explored ways to streamline the ongoing campaign against international terrorism. No specific blueprint was announced at the conclusion of their summit here, but their strategic consultations were hailed by both sides.

The British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, paid a handsome tribute to India for its role as a strong member of the evolving international coalition against terror.

The two leaders met as the news flash about a plane-crash in New York soured the international mood despite no immediate reports of a terrorist link.

Mr. Blair and Mr. Vajpayee discussed the current phase of the U.S.-British military and diplomatic moves to eliminate the terror bases in Afghanistan that lies in India's geostrategic neighbourhood.

Today's summit was held to sustain the political thrust that Mr. Blair and Mr. Vajpayee had given to the international anti-terror movement during their previous meeting in New Delhi last month.

Mr. Blair had invited Mr. Vajpayee for today's consultations. The Prime Minister reached London from New York, where he addressed the U.N. General Assembly after holding talks with the U.S. President, Mr. George W. Bush, in Washington.

Mr. Vajpayee began his current three-nation voyage with substantive talks with the Russian leadership. With the prime focus being the ongoing battle against globalised terror, Mr. Vajpayee today concluded this significant round of consultations on a high note of satisfaction that India was being recognised now as a key player in the vanguard of the international movement against terror.

India's emergence as a leader of this movement and the possibility of any role for New Delhi within the inner circle of campaign managers remained issues for the future.

In a brief media event at the conclusion of the summit, Mr. Blair not only praised New Delhi's relevance to the anti-terror coalition but also indicated that the boat of British-Indian relationship would not be rocked by the tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad over the former's dim view of the latter as an inveterate sponsor of terror.

On Kashmir and the implied question whether Pakistan might have ingratiated itself with the major powers by promising support for the present operations in Afghanistan, Mr. Blair said he thought that no country had changed its position on the Kashmir issue on account of Pakistan's stance on the maelstrom of terrorism.

India, he noted, had a very strong and firmly held position on Kashmir. Britain had not altered its perspective on Kashmir in the face of these overall dynamics.

Mr. Vajpayee said his discussion with Mr. Blair took place in the context of the current fight against international terrorism.

On the bilateral front, the trade ties as also the presence of a sizable community of people of Indian origin in Britain served as assets, Mr. Vajpayee underlined. He also made a specific mention of Britain's recent action of banning several terrorist groups that had wreaked havoc in India.

It was evident from the subjects discussed that official India was now beginning to look towards playing a prime role in the campaign against terror without waiting simply for a possible spin-off effect of some benefit to India in regard to the current campaign in Afghanistan.

Mr. Brajesh Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister and National Security Adviser, said at a press conference that Afghanistan was the prime focus of today's summit.

On whether India had given Mr. Blair any indication about its actual role, Mr. Mishra said New Delhi, without being a military partner of either the U.S. or the U.K. in Afghanistan at this time, had already offered logistical support in cases of specific requests.

``The sooner the Taliban is replaced (in Afghanistan) the better it will be,'' he said. However, it was necessary that all concerned should first agree upon a post-Taliban set-up, He said, in response to a question, that Mr. Blair had not asked India to exercise restraint in its own anti-terror war at home. On Kashmir, he said, it was a known British position that India and Pakistan should sit down and talk.

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