The Hindu : Border tension to figure in dialogue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Mar 18, 2002

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Border tension to figure in dialogue
By Atul Aneja

NEW DELHI, MARCH 17. India and the U.S. are to begin a broad-based dialogue on Monday. The talks will cover Indo-Pak. relations, developments in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, as well as their on-going security cooperation.

These issues are expected to be discussed during talks between the visiting U.S. Assistant Secretary of State on South Asia, Christina Rocca, and Joint Secretary (Americas) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Jayant Prasad. Ms. Rocca, who is in India after visiting Bangladesh, Maldives and Sri Lanka, will also call on the External Affairs Minister, Jaswant Singh, and the National Security Adviser, Brajesh Mishra.

With the December 13 terrorist attack on Parliament resulting in a military stand-off between India and Pakistan, India and the U.S. are expected to discuss ways to de-escalate tension on the border. According to sources, the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, had suggested that India could remove its forces from the existing `alert status' without withdrawing them from the border. Essentially, this means adopting a relatively relaxed military posture which could, for instance, be maintained by keeping fighter aircraft deployed in forward locations in a disarmed state and marginally distancing ground troops from their ``ready-to-fight'' operational locations.

New Delhi is of the view that a dialogue with Islamabad can be resumed once Pakistan takes steps to curb infiltration ``irreversibly.'' India is presently engaged in assessing whether Pakistan is taking any concrete steps towards ending infiltration permanently. In case of a positive action, India may pull back part of its strike corps deployed along the borders by June.

A military level exchange such as the discussions between DGMOs of both countries, is likely to take place only after India makes an independent affirmation that infiltration has come to an end.

On developments in Afghanistan, India is expected to impress upon Ms. Rocca, the urgency of encouraging Afghans to develop their own police and army for their security. The U.S., on its part, has already made it clear that it backs India's efforts to rebuild Afghanistan's armed forces which will be mainly equipped with Russian weapons. This subject, the sources said, has already been discussed between Gen. Powell and Mr. Jaswant Singh.

Discussions on South Asia are expected to see India hearing out from the U.S. side the role it envisages for itself in Sri Lanka in the future. Ms. Rocca during her stay in Sri Lanka has signalled Washington's backing for the latest peace initiative in the island State. Talks on Bangladesh are likely to cover the subject of possible export of gas from Bangladesh to India. During her stay in Dhaka, Ms. Rocca had stated that it was in Bangladesh's self-interest to make a ``positive decision'' on gas exports.

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